


Fractured Fractals

by KatNocta



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Anxiety, Insanity, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Puzzleshipping, Violence, and it is adorkable Puzzle bois, sexual themes every so often, there is ONE explicit chapter that does not advance the plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-06-24 11:41:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 80,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15629982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatNocta/pseuds/KatNocta
Summary: Seto Kaiba was never content after visiting Atem in the afterlife at the end of DSOD; his desire to defeat him pushes him past the bounds of normality and over a cliff into raging insanity. On the pretext of conducting an experiment, he brings Atem back to their reality, lets him reunite with Yugi, only to kidnap him later on and attempts to “defeat” him - via torture and violence. Atem is rescued, but finds himself not only severely injured, but severely traumatized, and must recover under Yugi’s care. Mokuba, meanwhile, has discovered what his brother has been up to, and is grimly determined to both keep Yugi and Atem safe, and protect the company that his brother built up so successfully - because now, Kaiba’s sanity hanging by a thread is endangering his work, their livelihood, and the integrity of everything they’ve fought for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has literally been in the works for nearly 18 months, and I'm so glad I get to post it as part of the 2018 YGO Big Bang! It's also by far the longest fic I've ever written. 
> 
> Special thanks to Phoebe Delos, who beta'd this for me!

Atem was struggling.

His head was submerged in a large basin and was being firmly held there. He couldn’t breathe, and his body thrashed of its own accord - a desperate survival instinct.

Wide metal cuffs tightly encircling his wrists offered no give, keeping his arms firmly locked behind him and rendering his struggles futile. But he was running out of air fast, and his body was panicking even as his mind fought against it.

Finally, the hand keeping his head under the water dragged him up by his hair. His coughs and gasps echoed a little in the room. He was stuck in some godforsaken cell buried deep in Kaiba’s mansion, trapped and alone with no idea why he was even there.

He wished he could control his breathing so it didn’t sound so desperate, but the stale air filling his lungs felt like the breath of life itself. He also wished he wasn’t shivering so hard… but the water was so _cold,_ as was the concrete floor beneath his knees, chilling him even through his clothing.

“Well, well,” Kaiba sneered, yanking Atem’s head back so far he had to arch his back little. “You have no endurance, pharaoh. Pathetic.”

Atem managed to open his eyes, glaring up at his captor, water trickling down his back.

“Still thirsty?” Kaiba asked in mock concern.

Atem growled. “You torture me like this and haven’t even asked a question,” he spat. “Do you even _want_ information about anything? I thought this was supposed to be another _duel_.”

Kaiba’s harsh laugh filled the room, his eyes boring into Atem’s own. “How astute,” he sneered. His grip in Atem’s hair tightened and Atem grit his teeth against the pain. “I don’t want information, no…”

Atem had a bare half-second’s warning before Kaiba plunged his head into the basin again with a resounding splash.

“...I want to _defeat you_. For _good._ ”

It was worse this time; he’d tried to inhale right as his face hit the water, so he was already choking and struggling. It was in vain; he knew it was in vain, that Kaiba wouldn’t let him up until the last possible second... but he couldn’t stop himself.

He also couldn’t stop himself from worrying that Kaiba _wouldn’t_ let him up.

The seconds passed by with agonizing slowness. His struggling intensified even as his mind became foggy, deprived of oxygen for too long.

Kaiba jerked him out again, keeping his hand fisted so tightly in Atem’s hair that he could feel each of Kaiba’s knuckles digging into his scalp. He retched this time, his body trying to rid his lungs of the water he’d inadvertently sucked in. Droplets from his hair and face rained down on the rest of him as he coughed and shook, simultaneously gasping for air and choking out a little water, unable to concentrate on anything else for a few seconds.

“If you throw up on my shoes, pharaoh, you’ll be cleaning them yourself,” Kaiba said flatly. “I won’t be celebrating my victory over you with dirty shoes on.”

Victory... it had gone so far past that. But that was what Kaiba still called it. Atem thought of the irony: he’d been such a skilled strategist, both in Egypt and in this world, and yet he hadn’t truly seen what was happening to Kaiba or what his true intentions had become. Not when he transcended dimensions to see him again, to duel. Not when he’d managed to do so again, this time with Atem himself in tow when he’d returned.

An experiment, he’d called it. And it had worked. Yugi had been overjoyed to see him again, and that alone, plus the couple of weeks they’d spent together, had made the whole thing worth it.

But Kaiba had apparently had no intention of letting him go back. His obsession with finally beating Atem in a duel had fractured and degenerated into an obsession with flat-out breaking his will. Though Atem _had_ heard him mention dueling more than once already… perhaps he’d wanted Atem physically weakened first.

He’d always walked a fine line between passion and insanity, as many geniuses of history had… but now he had left that line far behind.

And Atem hadn’t seen it. Until he’d been dragged down here.

Atem hardened his resolve. He would not give in to this torture, no matter what Kaiba threw at him. This wasn’t the first… tactic Kaiba had used. He knew it would not be the last.

“It will take much more than this to break me, _Kaiba_ ,” he growled, throwing all the venom he could muster into his words. He could not fight back with fists, or a Penalty Game for that matter, but he could fight back with words, and he would use any tool as best as he could against his enemy. Even though the power balance was horribly skewed out of his favor.

“Good,” Kaiba said, sounding amused. “I’d hate for you to lose our game early on. We still have our _duel_ , after all.”

“You won’t win,” snarled Atem immediately. “You can’t defeat me in a duel, and you won’t defeat me he–” He was cut off as Kaiba shoved his head back under.

As his struggle began again, he heard Kaiba’s voice, distorted by the water drowning him.

“Oh, I think I can, pharaoh. I’m a patient man. We’ll be here as long as it takes.”

 

* * *

 

Yugi paced his bedroom above the game shop, trying not to panic.

Atem should have returned long ago. He’d gone out to run some errands, but had promised he’d be back in plenty of time before he and Yugi were supposed to meet up with Joey and Tristan for some arcade time.

Usually, he would call or text if he was running late. But not today.

He wasn’t answering at all. No call, no text, no voicemail had gotten a response.

It wasn’t like him to go silent like this, and Yugi was worried sick. He’d given Atem his old mobile phone, since his other self had needed _some_ form of communication, and Atem had dutifully taken it with him anytime he went out. Yugi tried to tell himself that he was overreacting, that Atem’s phone could have died or he’d gotten to chatting with a curious person or two… but it had been too long.

And he had a really bad feeling in his gut that something was wrong.

He got up and called Joey. If anyone could help, it’d be him.

“Yug! What’s up, buddy? We still on for later?”

“Actually... I think there’s a problem.”

* * *

 

Atem was shaking.

He couldn’t move. He was standing, but only because Kaiba had his wrists over his head, bound with the same metal cuffs, attached to… something… above him that enabled his captor to change his position without actually dirtying his hands. Typical. His feet had been cuffed to the ground, after he’d kicked Kaiba in the groin during this “set-up”, as Kaiba called it. He’d kicked him a few other places, too; he was _determined_ to fight.

He’d paid for that. He was bruised all over.

But he would resist Kaiba until his dying breath if he had to.

“You look cold, pharaoh,” Kaiba drawled. He lounged in a small computer chair off to his left, next to the terminal he’d been using to… control things.

“I’ve… been warmer,” Atem growled, gasping for breath a little. He shivered violently, and he didn’t bother hiding it. The room was not warm. The cuffs binding his feet and hands stretched him to his limit, biting cruelly into his skin, and his shirt and pants had been ripped away, leaving him entirely bare save for his underwear. It didn’t bode well for whatever was coming next, and he mentally steeled himself.

“Let’s fix that, shall we?” Kaiba’s voice was soft, menacing. He reached over and tapped a button on his screen. Atem swallowed hard, in spite of himself; dread snaked its way through him and he tried not to let it show.

For a moment, nothing happened. Kaiba smiled, and the light from his computer monitor threw his features into harsh relief in the dim light, making him look positively demonic.

Then Atem felt his cuffs grow warm. All of them. His eyes widened, realizing what was going to happen.

Kaiba’s smile broadened into a terrifying leer.

The cuffs got hot. It actually did feel good for about two seconds; he felt his shivering cease, and his muscles relaxed a little.

But they got hotter.

And hotter.

Atem clenched his teeth as he felt the burning start. He was determined not to scream if he could help it… but that didn’t last long.

The cuffs got hotter. His skin screamed in protest.

He screamed with it.

The cuffs abruptly cooled, suddenly feeling ice cold. His skin protested that, too, the severe temperature change too fast for his nerves to handle properly. He started shivering again.  

“Better?” Kaiba’s voice was mocking. Atem forced his eyes open, not realizing that he’d clenched them shut. He stayed silent, glaring, refusing to give in to Kaiba’s goading.

“I suppose not,” Kaiba continued, after a moment. “Let’s try this instead…” He reached down under the desk and picked up something that looked like a longer, thicker conducting baton.

It was metal, except for the handle, which had a few buttons on it.

Atem realized what that meant as Kaiba rose and stalked toward him, brandishing the thing almost like a knife. He stopped right in front of Atem, and held the wand up in front of his face.

He could feel the heat coming from it. He did not want to know what it would do if it came in contact with his skin, and tried to keep his face stoic.

Kaiba brought it closer to his cheek and he flinched away from it involuntarily. Kaiba chuckled softly.

“Too hot, pharaoh? I thought you liked the heat.” He began circling Atem like a predator, bringing the wand close to his skin every so often but not actually touching him with it. He flinched every time.

“So predictable,” Kaiba crooned. He’d stopped behind him.

He would resist as best he could. He had to remind himself of that as anxiety pulsed urgently in him. He drew a breath.

“Enjoying the view, Kaiba?” he managed to snarl.

“Yes, actually,” Kaiba replied smoothly, and resumed his circle. “I’ll be enjoying it more later on... but it never hurts to get a look now, hm?” His voice deepened with the threat, and Atem felt Kaiba’s free hand brush the small of his back ever so gently... and then trail along his hip to the edge of his briefs, as though by accident.

But Atem knew it was no accident.

His breath caught. He felt the blood drain from his face in a rush of pure fear. So that was Kaiba’s endgame, was it?

It would be the ultimate assault, and he didn’t know if he would be able to withstand it. Yugi loved him, and would love him no matter what, he knew…

...But there were some things that destroyed a person. He was not someone who could get intimate with just anyone; being intimate with Yugi had taken time and care for both of them, long before they’d separated. He wondered if Kaiba knew just how devastating his assault would be for him.

He hoped not.

Kaiba’s voice drew him back to the present, and his current problems. “But not yet, pharaoh. For now…”

He stopped in front of Atem’s face again and held up the wand. “For now, we play the game.” He smiled. “My turn.”

This time, the wand connected. With his arm.

He shrieked at the intense pain. Kaiba’s twisted smile grew as he waited a good second or two before lifting it away. “Still too hot?” he said in mock concern. Atem didn’t bother responding. He clenched his teeth. He was shaking harder than ever.

“How about now?” The wand seared his other arm. He cried out again.

“No? How about now?” His chest. He couldn’t stop his shrieks, or his instinctive flinching.

“You sure?” His stomach. No matter how he twisted, it was useless.

“Too bad.” His thigh. His jerks only made the cuffs dig in more painfully.

His voice was wearing down from his cries. The pain threatened to overwhelm him; the anguish and terror of being rendered so helpless in the face of torture rose with every searing touch of the wand.

Kaiba kept going.

He would not break. He repeated it silently to himself, a desperate mantra.

He would never break.

* * *

 

Yugi bent over, clutching a stitch in his side. He was out of breath from running all over Domino with his friends, looking for his partner.

They’d looked so many places. It had been at least two hours since they’d started, and still no word from Atem. Something really was wrong, they all knew it now. Joey and Tristan stayed by his side, breathing hard but not winded like he was. “Deep breaths, Yug’,” Joey said, a hand on his shoulder.

“Who else can we call?” Tristan was saying. “Duke’s working…”

“Mai’s out of town,” Joey added. “Téa’s in New York…”

Yugi was so winded and so focused on trying to take deep breaths that he almost missed his phone’s ringtone going off.

“Yug’!” Joey yelled, and Yugi jumped, frantically scrambling to get his phone out of his pocket.

It wasn’t Atem’s number.

But it was the game shop’s.

He picked up with trembling fingers. “Grandpa?”

“Yugi,” his grandfather’s voice was worried. “I just got a very disturbing call.”

“Is it Atem? Is he okay? Did you talk to him?” He stared at his friends’ faces, both of their expressions mirroring his own desperate hope.

“No, no, Yugi. I’m sorry,” his grandfather said. “It was... one of Seto Kaiba’s... butlers? I think that’s what he said. He said… Yugi, he said Kaiba is holding him prisoner.” Yugi felt his face drain of color. “He said he wants to help, he asked for your number…”

A beep sounded in Yugi’s ear. Call pending. “I think he’s calling me now, Grandpa,” he said. “Thanks.” He pressed the button to take the new call, from a number he didn’t recognize.

“Yug’, what–” Joey started to say, but Yugi held up a trembling hand.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Mutou? I work for Mr. Seto Kaiba,” an unfamiliar voice said.

“Yes?” Yugi tried to keep his voice even, fighting back panic. “My grandfather said… do you…” He couldn’t get the words out correctly. “Is my partner…”

“Your partner is being held captive and Master Kaiba is... not treating him well. It’s going too far. I… well, I and others… we cannot sit by and let him commit murder.”

Yugi knew his face showed his horror. “What do you want?” He would give anything, anything at all to get Atem out of there...

“Your location, Mr. Mutou. I can assist in his release, but he will need you to care for him and take him home. I can have a car pick you up immediately.”

Yugi fought back tears. “Yes. Yes, thank you.” He managed to choke out the closest shop address and hung up after hearing the man’s confirmation.

He was shaking all over. He felt numb, relief that he could help his partner warring with pure horror that he was going through something bad enough that even Kaiba’s servants couldn’t deal with it.

“Yug’,” Joey said gently, looking worried. “Yug’, what’s up?”

Yugi looked up at his friends. “Kaiba has Atem. He’s hurting him. Torturing him. One of his servants is coming for us to help get him out because... because they think... they think Kaiba might kill him.” He bit back a sob, fighting to keep himself under control.

“Jesus,” whispered Tristan, looking as horror-struck as Yugi felt.

“We’re coming,” Joey said firmly. “We’ll get him out together.”

Yugi nodded. He kept his eyes on the street nearby, forcing his breathing to slow down, looking for the car the man had sent for them. He was scared... but he was also _angry_. Kaiba had dragged Atem out of the afterlife... for _this_?

He was supposed to be done with fighting and dealing with people out for his blood.

He was supposed to finally be at peace.

He _deserved_ to be at peace.

And instead, he was suffering. Again. Because of Kaiba.

His partner didn’t deserve this. _None of it._

_Hang on, Atem_ , he thought to himself, wishing Atem could hear him. _Just hang on. I’m coming for you._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential triggers: violence/torture, blood, anxiety & panic
> 
> CHECK OUT ELYSIAREE'S AMAZING COMIC OF THIS CHAPTER [HERE](http://elysiaree.tumblr.com/post/177874843623/here-is-one-of-the-main-pieces-for-katyanoctiss) !!!

Atem was screaming.

This time, it was the pure, raw, throat-wrenching screaming that only comes with terrible agony.

He couldn’t help it. He was still strung up by his wrists and some kind of electrical current was ripping its way through his entire body. Every nerve was on fire, every cell seemed ready to burst.

He didn’t know where it was coming from anymore. He no longer knew how long he’d been down there. He just felt his body convulse and contort in protest to the electricity.

So he screamed.

The current stopped, and so did his cry. He went slack, hanging limply from his cuffs, as unforgiving as ever, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his toes just barely scraping the ground, his body trembling and twitching uncontrollably from the abuse. His ears rang in the subsequent silence. Something trickled down his arms and he had no idea whether it was sweat or blood… or both. It trickled down his chest, too.

He’d never experienced pain that acute before. He was no stranger to pain, but this... this… His eyes were clenched shut but tears wormed their way down his cheeks anyway. He let them. There was no shame in tears, as he’d told Yugi more than once. He would not let them shame him now.

Harsh laughter sliced through the fragments of his thoughts. Terrible laughter, with a crazed edge. It was that more than anything else that finally told him how low his odds were of making it out of this alive. He couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes, though. Darkness was preferable.

“Tears, pharaoh? _Tears?_ I thought you were stronger than _this._ ” Kaiba’s taunt echoed across the room from his computer terminal. “And screaming like a _girl_ on top of it. I expected better. How will you manage to duel later if you’re whimpering like a child _now_?” A squeak and a slight rattle told him Kaiba had risen from his chair. Footsteps drew nearer.

He gathered what little strength he had. “Only someone without honor, Kaiba,” he rasped, his voice nearly gone, “finds crying shameful.”

A sharp blow across his face told him that Kaiba had been nearer than he’d thought. He didn’t have the strength left to resist and the momentum sent him swinging from his restraints a little, reminding him of just how painful they were, on top of everything else. He had a feeling that they would never have the duel Kaiba kept mentioning, not like this…

“So, you haven’t cracked just yet,” Kaiba’s voice was a low snarl in his ear. A hand grabbed a chunk of his hair, forcing his motion to stop. He winced. His head hurt enough already. “Good. It would have been a shame to stop the game now when there’s so much more to play.” A snicker, full of sick enjoyment. “When you finally submit to me for good, pharaoh, it will be that much sweeter.”

Again Atem summoned what little strength he had left to speak. “I will never–,” he gasped as Kaiba wrenched his head back, straining his neck, but continued through clenched teeth, “ _–never_ submit to you.”

Kaiba released his hair and walked away, and his head fell forward. He could no longer hold it up on his own. He was so badly weakened… and so tired… and in so much pain… he’d been beaten and burned, nearly drowned, nearly suffocated, and now electrocuted… was he missing something? He didn’t know anymore. His one solace was that, no longer connected via the Puzzle, at its own rest in the afterlife, Yugi couldn’t feel any of this.

At the same time, however, he wished their connection stood, if only for Yugi’s support if not to actually find him and get him out. He held no delusions of escaping on his own. He’d lost the strength to stand, or even crawl. Kaiba had seen to that.

He didn’t want Yugi to know how bad it was… to feel anything like this...

He just didn’t want Kaiba’s voice to be the last thing he ever heard.

No. _No._ He couldn’t think that way. Thoughts like that were giving up.

Atem clenched his jaw. He _would_ make it out of this. He _would not_ give up.

“We’ll see, pharaoh,” Kaiba sneered smugly from somewhere to his left. “There’s so much left for us to do… I’ll get my victory over you one way or another.”

Victory… he was still calling it victory, as though this was a normal Duel Monsters tournament. Kaiba had always been single-minded when it came to beating his opposition, but this… this was far more than a desire for victory. This was _insanity_ , this was cruel and malicious _torture_ …

...and he was legitimately unsure how much more of it he could take. With Kaiba like this, it was highly possible that he’d push his physical limits too far without realizing it until it was too late.

Maybe that was his final end-game after all, whatever he’d said about their usual game. The thought sent a fresh shiver of trepidation through him.

Would he reach the afterlife again if he wasn’t supposed to have left it in the first place? What would happen if he died a third time? _Could_ he even die at this point?

Would he see Yugi again?

A deafening CRACK shattered his thoughts and the right side of his ribcage was suddenly on fire. That hadn’t been a mere hand hitting him this time.

“Answer me, pharaoh,” Kaiba sneered. Atem hadn’t even heard him ask a question. He kept silent.

CRACK. He cried out through clenched teeth, though it was more of a hoarse croak now. His right arm this time. A belt… or switch.

“I _said,_ ” Kaiba snarled, and this time Atem felt the breeze from his windup before the thing struck his shoulder. He didn’t try to stop himself from crying out again. The tears kept coming; he wished it would stop even as he knew that Kaiba would not stop. “Would you like to _hear_ ” - another blow across his back; Kaiba was moving - “the rest of my plans for this _game._ ” Another. This one hit him in the side so hard that he was almost winded. There was no rhythm to the blows, no way of predicting when they would hit. “You _love_ games, _pharaoh_. Don’t you want to?” Another. Another.

Atem struggled to take a breath. His voice was almost gone. But he would resist as best he could. “Not...not particu–” his rasp became a choked gasp as this time, something else struck his back, slicing into his skin. Something thinner. More lethal.

A whip.

He felt blood trickle down his back. He could tell this time.

“Surprise,” Kaiba intoned mockingly. Atem caught his breath, realizing that Kaiba hadn’t moved, that he was waiting… and then he struck again, and his back gained another stripe of white hot pain.

“It’s a real one, you know,” Kaiba said, almost casually. “None of that fake stuff not meant to cause real pain.” He snickered, and suddenly struck again without warning. Atem bit back a whimper; he didn’t doubt Kaiba’s words… the pain itself was proof. “Nothing but the _best_ for the _King of Games_ ,” he snarled, his tone becoming menacing.

He heard Kaiba pause, waiting. Atem knew a blow was coming, but _when–_

Again, a little lower down his back. The strike seared across his vision, despite his eyes being tightly closed.

Kaiba would wait a varying number of seconds, then strike. Atem couldn’t predict it, and he felt the fear creep in, a snake of ice between strikes of fire.

He could do nothing… gods it hurt so badly… every time, it seemed to hurt more, shredding his skin, and he could only hang there and take it. Tears scorched their way down his face in earnest.

Again. Kaiba was picking up the pace, striking harder and faster, as though there was no limit to his cruelty. He was laughing maniacally; the awful sound echoed in the room, driving into his skull.

Again.

He could feel his body approaching its limit. He was so tired... _Please stop_ , he thought, but could not say. He hated himself for it.

Again. Across his shoulders. _Stop… no more…_ He couldn’t tell if he was crying harder or if the blows made it hard to breathe… or both.

He had withstood so much… was it finally too much? _Don’t make me die like this..._

Again. Atem’s head was pounding. He could hardly breathe. His mouth was dry even as his cheeks were wet. Every bruise, welt, burn, cut and scrape was throbbing, howling their protests. Every muscle twitched. He could barely hear anything Kaiba was saying through the haze of agony. _Don’t give in… you can’t give in…_

“If this doesn’t break you, _pharaoh_ …”

Wrists. Arms. Head. Neck. Chest. Back. Legs. Screaming.

Screaming. Was it his voice or his mind or his body screaming? All three?

The strikes kept coming.

He was helpless. _Please..._

“...we can always proceed…”

Screaming. Gods, he wanted it to end. Every strike-ache-burn-breath bled together into one intense piercing, burning agony that overwhelmed him bit by bit.

He wouldn’t break. He couldn’t. _Don’t give in..._

“...pathetic counterpart won’t want you after…”

Yugi… he loved him so…

Tears. So many tears. They burned, too.

White-hot. He was burning all over. He couldn’t take it.

He couldn’t take any more.

_Please… just end it…_

Kaiba was killing him.

“...fit for a whore…”

At least he’d seen his family again.

_Yugi..._

“...nothing…”

At least he’d seen Yugi again.

_...I’m sorry..._

“... _submit.”_

 

**SLAM.**

Light struck through his closed eyes to his right.

“ ** _ATEM!_** ”

Yugi.

Relief.

“ATEM… oh god…”

“GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM.”

“WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE, YOU FUCKING–”

Voices. Screaming. Chaos. He couldn’t open his eyes, he couldn’t do anything but hang there and cling desperately to his last scrap of consciousness. And his newfound hope.

Yugi had come for him.

Somehow, Yugi and his friends had come for him.

He heard blows and involuntarily flinched, but nothing struck him.

Then he felt a small, familiar hand gently touch his face. He flinched from that, too. He couldn’t help it.

“Atem…” Yugi’s voice was thick, like he was crying. _No, Yugi, don’t cry..._ “Atem, I’m here. I’m here now.” The gentle hand brushed away the tears that still fell from his closed eyes. He wanted to open them. He wanted to see him.

He could only manage one small word, and it was the barest whisper. “Yu…”

“Shhh,” Yugi whispered. “Save your strength. You’re safe now.”

Safe. He was always safe with Yugi.

The voices and chaos continued. He heard snarls from Kaiba, shouts to release him from his friends. He couldn’t concentrate on them for long before his head hurt too much.

He felt something soft wrap around his back and chest and tensed.

“It’s just my jacket,” Yugi said softly, tying the sleeves into a knot and doing up as many buttons as he could. “You’re shivering.” He was? He had no concept of what his body was doing anymore, it seemed. “And you’re bleeding, really badly. I… I think you’ll need stitches…”

He felt Yugi’s hand at one of his wrists, trying to find a mechanism to release him. There apparently was none, but Yugi’s soft touch made him realize the cuffs had been so tight, they’d drawn blood. If he’d been able to string a sentence together, he would’ve told Yugi to look at the computer terminal, but all he could do was nod a little and trust that his partner would figure it out.

“Let him down, Kaiba!” Yugi’s voice was loud. Angry.

“We’re not done,” Kaiba’s snarl was rough and uneven. “You interrupted our _game._ ”

“Jesus,” Joey growled, “You’ve gone fuckin’ crazy. You call this a GAME?! You were KILLING him!”

“Master Mutou,” an unfamiliar voice said quietly. “Allow me.”

“Don’t you dare,” Kaiba spat. “You’ll be fired if you come ANY closer.”

A soft cloth brushed his face. It was a surprise… but he felt the dirt and sweat and tears–and blood too–get wiped gently away.

And he realized… he had strength enough to open an eye. Just a little.

Yugi pulled away the sleeve of his shirt - the cloth - as he noticed. “Atem…?” He used both hands to gently cup his face and lift it, so he could look at his other half directly.

He was beautiful. He always was. Right now, he was the most beautiful being Atem had ever seen. Yugi’s eyes were full of tears but he smiled a tremulous smile.

“Master Mutou, this will drop him.” Atem’s gaze flicked to the left instinctively as Yugi’s head turned to look. A servant he didn’t recognize was standing by the terminal. Kaiba was being held down flat on the ground by both Joey and Tristan, who were looking murderous.

“DON’T YOU DARE,” Kaiba’s muffled yell made them jump, but they held their ground. “I’LL RUIN YOUR ENTIRE FUCKING FAMILY FOR THIS.”

“I would rather you ruin my family than sit by and let you murder this man, Master Kaiba,” the man said, quietly but firmly. He paused, but there was no response this time, only a general growl. He looked to Yugi again. “Mr. Mutou.”

“Okay. Thank you,” Yugi said. “Atem…” Atem looked at him immediately, drinking him in again. Yugi swallowed. “Atem… this is going to hurt. But I’ll do my best, okay?”

Hurt. He didn’t think he could process any more pain. But he knew Yugi would protect him as best he could. He just had to hold on a little longer. He managed a tiny nod against Yugi’s hands.

Yugi stepped close and wrapped his arms around him tightly.

It did hurt. He hissed a little, involuntarily, closing his eyes again.

“I’m sorry,” Yugi whispered. Then he said, more loudly, “Okay. Go ahead.”

He heard the digital click of a switch. Abruptly, the pressure on his wrists and ankles ceased… and he fell. Yugi’s grip tightened as he bore Atem’s full weight, and the agony shot through his skull to the point that he knew nothing else for several terrible, long seconds.

“...need to get him to a hospital NOW,” Yugi was saying when he was able to focus again.

“There’s an emergency clinic that’s closer,” the manservant said, his voice close. “I will personally drive you there if you would like.”

“Thank you,” Yugi said. He was carrying Atem in both arms now; one arm under his legs and the other holding his waist as the rest of him slumped over Yugi’s shoulder. Atem could feel him shaking from the strain.

“Here, Yug’, let me help,” Joey’s voice sounded almost on top of him. Another set of hands brushed his shoulder, making him flinch a little.

“No, Joey, I’m fine. Let me keep him with me, please,” Yugi’s voice was soft, his grip strong. Atem wished he could thank him; he trusted Joey but wanted no one but his partner right then.

“I’ll stay until the cops arrive,” came another voice… Tristan’s?

Atem was growing groggier; it was harder to distinguish voices…

“They’re on their way, we know that much…”

This was important; he had to focus…

“So, any minute now?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Idiots,” came Kaiba’s distinctive snarl. “Like they’ll do anything.”

“You’ll pay for this one way or another,” Yugi snapped, in a tone Atem had never heard before. He realized that Yugi wasn’t just shaking from the strain of carrying someone literally his own weight.

He was shaking in barely controlled _fury_.

Yugi, whose best strength and first instinct was kindness, was furious beyond anything Atem had known.

“I will never, _ever_ forgive you for this,” Yugi continued, in a low, dangerous tone that silenced everyone else in the room. “I will _make sure_ you never escape it, Kaiba. Ever. Do you understand me?”

“Is that a _threat_?” Kaiba’s voice was mocking.

“Yes,” Yugi growled. “And a promise.” Then Atem felt him turn slowly, and begin walking toward the door… toward freedom.

Every step pulsed painfully throughout his entire body. But he was with Yugi. He was safe.

“Pharaoh,” Kaiba practically shrieked, making Atem twitch, truly sounding maniacal. _“I will still defeat you!_ **_YOU WILL SUBMIT EVENTUALLY._** _”_

He still had to resist. He was not broken. He _wasn’t_.

He had come close… so close… but he would never be broken. Never.

He managed to take a breath.

“Never,” he rasped, in a bare whisper. He wasn’t sure if Kaiba could hear him… but Yugi did.

“Never,” Yugi agreed fiercely, and more loudly. He walked out.

* * *

 The ride over to the clinic was short, but every second was a struggle.

“Don’t go to sleep, Atem,” Yugi told him. Joey and the unknown servant gently laid him on his stomach, on top of Yugi in the back of the car, to keep pressure off his bleeding back. The jacket was helping the worst of it, but not much else. Yugi held him tightly, trying to avoid his other wounds… of which there were plenty. Atem appreciated his effort; in a way, the accidental brushes or squeezes kept him alert. “The doctors need to make sure your head is okay first, okay?”

Atem felt warm, and almost comfortable, and wanted nothing more than to sleep. But he managed a grunt of acknowledgement, and did his best to stay conscious.

Yugi told him his side of the story as they rode to keep his mind off his pain. It was amazing, Atem thought groggily, how well Yugi still knew him and what he needed, even without the Puzzle’s direct connection. He tried his best to listen.

Kaiba’s servants were known for their willingness to deal with Kaiba’s every crazy whim. Apparently, however, the kidnapping and torture of someone whom their boss had literally dragged out of the afterlife was too much for some of them. The man now driving them to the emergency clinic had found Yugi’s contact information, and while it had taken a few tries, he had gotten through eventually. He was going to lose his job and was risking his entire family’s future, but he’d told them more than once that he couldn’t stand Kaiba’s insanity any longer and didn’t want Atem to die at his hands.

So they’d raced to the mansion, calling the police on the way. Atem felt nothing but gratitude towards the man; he’d saved his life.

Yugi’s voice faltered, and one of his hands moved up to stroke Atem’s hair softly.

“I’m so sorry, Atem,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry we didn’t get to you sooner.”

Atem wanted to tell him that it was okay. That he was just glad to be out. That Yugi’s rescue and fierce protectiveness meant more to him than he could put into words even if he were able to voice them. But he couldn’t. Instead, he managed to stretch out a finger and brush Yugi’s shoulder.

“Save your strength, my other self,” Yugi said gently. “You’ll be home with us soon.”

* * *

Atem needed stitches in several places, mostly on his back, which was a horrendous mess. He also needed bandages on his wrists, on his face… it felt like he was becoming slowly mummified, which was not comforting. His left ankle had apparently twisted at some point and was sprained, so that was wrapped up too.

But he was clean… and his pain was significantly lessened thanks to some medicine. His brain was less foggy, and he’d been given water. He could concentrate on things better now that he wasn’t fighting all that agony, and talking was at least _possible_ , though his voice was pretty much gone. He was told that while he had a mild concussion, it was a miracle that it wasn’t worse, considering what he’d been through, and that he could actually sleep without fear of brain damage.

Yugi and Joey stayed with him the entire time, Yugi holding his hand as often as the doctors allowed. Atem desperately wanted him by his side; he kept flinching at any other person’s touch, even when the doctors told him exactly what they were doing and why. Although the logical part of his brain knew he was safe, part of him feared that this was a dream and he’d wake up still in Kaiba’s nightmare. He couldn’t relax: he kept expecting the next touch to be a blow, the next scan to be a new torture. He knew he was overreacting; now that he didn’t have to focus all his energy on staying conscious and surviving, the irrational fear moved in. Yugi could tell, he knew, and stayed close.

The medical staff permitted Yugi’s presence, except for a couple of times when they had him scanned or X-Rayed for internal damage. They were all very kind, explaining that it was normal to be afraid or wary of touches after severe abuse like that, that he would need counseling but would eventually heal, mentally and emotionally. The analytical part of his mind thought it made sense and appreciated the explanations; the rest of him was trying not to give in to full-out panic at all the unfamiliar touches and wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep in Yugi’s arms.

Finally, after what felt like eons, they were allowed to go. Atem couldn’t relax in the car, wrapped in a large blanket this time; the fear pulsed within him and he couldn’t push it away. He couldn’t relax when Joey helped carry him up to his and Yugi’s bedroom. He couldn’t relax when they carefully laid him in bed on his stomach, keeping pressure off his back, propping him up a little with extra pillows so he could breathe easily, and making sure his neck wasn’t straining.

He could, however, relax a little when Joey left the room to give them privacy. Yugi sat by his side and held his hand, stroking it gently.

When he relaxed, the tears came.

And when they came, they wouldn’t stop.

He found himself sobbing next to his partner, clinging to his sleeve, and then his shirt as Yugi maneuvered himself to lie next to him and hold him as tightly as he dared, occasionally stroking his hair or brushing his bangs aside.

“Cry it all out,” Yugi whispered, and Atem could tell that he was crying, too. “There’s no shame in tears, right?”

So he did. He let out all the pent-up terror, all the pain, the relief that he was safe, everything.

Apparently, he’d been trapped in that hellhole with Kaiba for over four hours.

It had felt like _weeks_.

It would take weeks for his body to heal.

He didn’t know how long it would take for his mind or his soul to heal.

Maybe they never truly would.

Yugi held him, and cried with him, and told him over and over that he was strong and safe and loved. And when his tears slowed, Yugi had tissues and water, brought quietly by Joey, and helped clean his face and blow his nose like he was a child. But he needed it.

The last thing he heard before he finally fell asleep was Yugi’s whispered, “I love you, my other self.”

The last thing he felt was Yugi’s gentle kiss on his temple, and his hand clasped over his own.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential triggers: anxiety/panic

_Atem couldn’t move. He was lying on something hard, staring up at Kaiba as he reached for his neck. He couldn’t speak or scream._

_“You’ll never be safe, pharaoh,” Kaiba growled. “You’re mine._ **_I will end you._ ** _”_

_One hand grabbed Atem’s neck and squeezed. The other raised a blood-red whip to strike..._

Atem woke up with a gasp, his eyes shooting open.

It took him a moment to get his bearings. He was in his and Yugi’s bedroom, lying on his stomach in bed, on top of some pillows, warm blankets tucked around him.

The room was dark, but a dim light from Yugi’s desk ensured that he could see at least a little. The skylight’s soft illumination on the floor told him it was night. He wondered how long he’d slept.

He couldn’t see Yugi anywhere. He wasn’t next to him in the bed either.

He realized he was afraid. He wanted to call his partner but his mouth was too dry, his throat too sore. Kaiba’s awful, haunting face seemed to loom out of every shadow, coming at him to hurt him with something new. He tried to control his breathing as it quickly became loud and ragged.

“Hey,” a soft voice said, from the direction of the doorway. “Hey now, buddy, it’s okay.”

It was Joey. His friend tiptoed across the room and knelt on the floor by Atem’s side so he was level with his face.

“Nightmare?” he asked, his voice gentle. Atem managed a small nod. “Thirsty?” He nodded again. Joey reached for a glass of water with a long, twisted straw that was set on the night table nearby. He watched Atem take a few gulps. “Take it easy, pal,” he said softly, “Guzzling it will only make you feel sick. Trust me on this one.”

Atem followed his advice, grateful for every sip. When he’d drained half the glass, Joey put it back on the table. As he did so, Atem tried to speak. It took effort, but he managed a rough whisper.

“Joey… where’s…”

Joey smiled. “Yugi? Right there, pal.” He gestured slightly behind him, down towards the floor, where a general dark lump seemed to be. “Dunno if you can see him. He’s okay. Just sleeping. We dragged the cushions off the couch in the den up here for him.”

“Why?”

“He was worried he’d roll onto your back or somethin’ while he slept if he laid next to you.” Atem felt fondness rise in him; it was absolutely typical of his partner to think of everyone else’s comforts before his own. “He took the first shift of stayin’ up to watch you, so now it’s my turn. Tristan was gonna, but he’s got work in like two hours, so we told him he could be on rotation tomorrow.”

...Rotations… to watch over _him_? Atem was stunned. “Joey… you didn’t… you guys don’t have to–”

Joey snorted softly. “O’course we do. What would’ve happened if you’d woken up needing to pee or somethin’ and no one was awake to help you?”

...Oh. He hadn’t thought of that very practical aspect. And actually…

Joey was continuing. “Not to mention, you just went through hell, bud. If you woke up upset, someone’s gotta be here for you. You’d’ve done the same for us.”

It was true… but he was overwhelmed by the care and concern anyway. He was safe. Always with his friends and family, he was _safe_. He managed a small smile. “Thank you.”

“No worries, pal. Now. Need anything? More water? Or a piss?”

Atem thought for a second and then nodded. Joey peeled off the blankets and carefully reached under his shoulders to lift him up and out of the bed. It hurt, and Atem couldn’t stop a small whimper of pain… but he knew just about everything he did would hurt for at least a few days. “Sorry, bud,” Joey whispered, carefully letting him fall over his shoulder. He rose, and carried Atem the short distance to the bathroom. He was stronger than Yugi; he hardly strained at all.

Atem couldn’t bring himself to care that he was naked; he trusted his friend and Joey was extremely careful not to touch him anywhere questionable. He felt ashamed of being so helpless that he needed this much assistance… but there was no question that he couldn’t do much on his own. Managing his own business took slow, careful movements.

He got a shock, however, when he got a look in the mirror over the sink when Joey supported his weight so he could wash his hands.

He hadn’t realized how _awful_ he looked.

There was a bandage on his temple, and a small one on his right cheek; he didn’t even remember being struck there enough to bleed. Both his eyes were bruised and swollen; so was pretty much his entire face.

Bandaging that protected the stitches on his back snaked around his torso, over padding that kept protective salve on his burns, which overlapped welts and bruising so that he was a myriad of black, red, and purple under the white bandaging, instead of his own normal tanned skin. It was _grotesque_.

He caught Joey’s eye in the mirror, who was watching him with a grim expression. “Yeah, he didn’t spare much of you,” Joey said quietly. Atem could hear the anger in his voice. “You were bleedin’ so bad when we found you, I thought you’d lost too much and weren’t gonna make it. Yug’ didn’t wanna leave your side, even though you’re gonna be okay and he knows it.”

It was one thing to know and feel that he’d been put through horrifying torture. It was another to _see_ the full effects.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to see any more.

“All finished?”

He nodded. He felt Joey lift him over his shoulder again and carry him back to bed. He helped Atem drink the rest of the water, and got him settled back on his stomach, tucking him in gently.

“I’m gonna refill this and leave a note for Yug’, okay?” Atem nodded, already feeling drowsy. Joey paused. “Actually. You want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?”

Atem thought for a moment. His body was still protesting his movements, but less sharply. He wasn’t sure if he could fully relax, though. In his mind’s eye, Kaiba’s face leered.

“Yes,” he whispered. “Thanks, Joey.”

“No problem.” Joey sat on the floor, within eyeshot so Atem could see him. “There ain’t no shame in needin’ help after what you’ve been through. You know that, right? I know you ain’t _used to_ being the one needing help… but we’re glad to be here for ya.”

Atem smiled a little. Joey smiled back, and reached out a hand to pat Atem’s gently.

He closed his eyes. His gratitude to his friend pushed away the fear, like a protective shield.

He relaxed… and slept.

* * *

Atem woke slowly, to the feeling of familiar fingers stroking his head softly, massaging his scalp. For a moment, he knew only that he was safe and warm, and Yugi was by his side… and he was content.

Then he tried to move his hand to grasp his partner’s, and was instantly reminded of the injuries Kaiba had inflicted on him… _All_ of them. At once. He couldn’t help a tiny grunt of pain.

“Atem?” Yugi’s voice was a half-whisper, and Atem felt the bed beneath him shift. He cracked an eye open and saw his partner, moving off the bed where he’d been sitting to kneel on the floor like Joey had, so their faces were level. His eyes were full of concern, but he smiled when he caught Atem’s sleepy gaze. “Hey.”

Atem managed a small smile of his own. It was one of the few things he could do that didn’t hurt much. Yugi reached for the water glass, and Atem realized that it was morning. Or at least… it was daytime. His partner’s bangs shimmered almost gold in the natural light that permeated the room. He gratefully sipped the water through the straw when Yugi offered it, wondering how long he’d actually slept.

“Sorry I wasn’t awake when you woke up before,” Yugi said quietly. Atem paused mid-sip and raised a skeptical eyebrow - did Yugi really expect that he could be awake all the time? - and winced a little as doing so pulled at the bandage on his temple.

Yugi caught his meaning, though, and gave a self-deprecating laugh as his cheeks turned slightly pink. “Okay, you and Joey know me way too well,” he said, scratching the back of his head like he always did when he was embarrassed. “He left a note saying what happened and when, and at the bottom it said that if I felt guilty about being asleep, he was going to carry me around by my ankles until I learned my lesson.”

Atem nearly snorted water up his nose in genuine amusement. Yugi hurriedly replaced the mostly empty glass on the nightstand as he coughed a little.

“That… would be effective,” he managed to croak out. His voice was still ragged, but it was easier to talk now that he’d had water.

“Highly unfair, though,” Yugi sniffed dramatically. Atem smiled, affection for his partner swelling in him. Yugi’s look of mock offense melted into his own soft smile. He clasped Atem’s hand. “I’m glad you’re awake now, my other self.”

“How long did I actually sleep?” He frowned slightly. “I… don’t even remember when we got back here,” he admitted.

“That’s kind of understandable,” Yugi said dryly. He was quiet for a moment, thinking. “I think we got you to bed around 5 last night? Maybe 6? Joey’s note says you woke up around 2 am. And it’s about 11:15 now.” He caught Atem’s look of surprise. “Your body needs a lot of rest, Atem; you’ll be sleeping a lot. But you’ll always have someone here with you, don’t worry. We’re taking shifts.” He squeezed Atem’s hand a little.

“Yugi…” Atem swallowed, feeling a lump in his throat. He knew his partner would do anything, risk anything, for him; he knew his friends would support him no matter what… and there was no doubt whatsoever that he needed help with even the smallest things… but it meant _so much_ that they went so far out of their way like this to make sure he was taken care of.

A very loud, unexpected snore came from somewhere below his bed, interrupting his thoughts and making him start a little. Yugi burst into giggles, muffling his laughter with his free hand.

“Well, now you know where Joey is,” he said, once he’d gotten himself under control. “I think that’s his way of agreeing.”

“Is it now?” Atem murmured, amused. “And I’m sure Grandpa agrees, too.”

Yugi made a face at him, but continued. “Grandpa’s downstairs, but yes. He watched you for a while this morning,” he sighed, his bright face turning grave. “He says we should make this public, try and shame Kaiba for this, but… well, I figured–”

The fear, which had been all but nonexistent during their conversation, roared back all at once, like a tidal wave yanking him under, so fast that he felt himself start sweating. Telling everyone what happened, while Kaiba glared... “No,” he gasped. “I don’t… Yugi, please–”

“Hey, hey, shhhh,” Yugi interrupted, reaching to embrace him. “It’s okay. Deep breaths. Follow mine, okay?” He bent over so his bangs brushed Atem’s face, breathing deeply. Atem clutched Yugi’s sleeve, trying to match his panicked gasps to Yugi’s slow, careful breaths. After a few moments, he felt it become easier, felt himself relax a little. He was shaking, he realized.

Yugi maneuvered himself onto the bed so he was lying next to him, and gently worked his arm under Atem’s head, so that it rested on Yugi’s shoulder. Feeling his partner’s arms around him, his familiar touch and scent, pushed the worst of the fear away.

“Oh, Atem, I’m sorry,” Yugi murmured softly, nuzzling the top of his head. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t think. We won’t do anything without your consent first, I promise. Okay?” Atem nodded, working his arm slowly around his partner’s waist. He didn’t trust his voice just yet; he was still trembling, but holding onto Yugi helped steady him. “Do you want me to give you a full rundown of what we know? If you don’t, that’s okay.”

Atem had to consider for a moment. On the one hand, he wanted to shut out everything about yesterday’s events. On the other… he _was_ genuinely curious.

Yugi was with him, holding him, holding the panic at bay. He was safe. He nodded.

Yugi shifted, the arm Atem was now using as a pillow pulling him a little closer. His thumb traced a pattern on Atem’s shoulder as he talked. Atem closed his eyes, feeling the soft motion soothe him.

“Tristan stopped by last night before he went home to give us his story, and… well, it went about as well as we’d expected,” Yugi sighed. “Kaiba’s just got too much influence and control in the city; the police didn’t even take him to the station for questioning. Tristan said he’d protested that justice was justice, but one of the cops told him quietly as he was escorted out that as far as Domino was concerned, Kaiba was untouchable. He wasn’t happy about it any more than Tristan was, but there was nothing he could do.”

“Has he really bought off all of Domino? Are things that corrupt?” Atem muttered quietly. This was not at all comforting… but, if he was honest, not altogether surprising, either.

“Yes and no. His technology eclipses theirs; he supplies half of their tools and surveillance...they don’t want to break that. That’s what Grandpa said, anyway.” Yugi’s tone sounded surprisingly bitter. “But yeah, corruption is corruption. That’s when he suggested a public shaming. But it’d be our word against his, and I knew you wouldn’t want to do that anyway. At least, not before you’d had time to heal.”

Atem grunted agreement. “God,” Yugi exhaled, suddenly sounding furious, “It makes me so _angry_. What he did to you, what he’s put you through...” his grip on Atem tightened protectively. It almost hurt, but Atem was grateful for it. He instinctively gripped harder in response. “I can’t… I can’t forgive him. I _can’t_. He dragged you out of the _afterlife_ … for _this_? After all you’ve already been through?” Atem heard Yugi’s breath catch and realized his partner was close to tears.

“Yugi,” he murmured, trying to comfort his other half.

Yugi, uncharacteristically, interrupted. “I love you, Atem, I love you so much,” his voice broke, “and I was so glad to see you again that I didn’t think… I didn’t question enough _why_ … I’ve been so happy with you. But if I’d known what he wanted to do… I would’ve told you to go back.” He buried his face into Atem’s hair, and Atem could feel him holding back a sob. “I never wanted you to suffer like this… and he… and you…” he trailed off. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

Atem wished with all his heart that he was healthy enough to sit up and wrap Yugi in his arms. He loved his partner fiercely, and while he’d accepted his fate and was glad to have fulfilled his destiny… he _loved_ Yugi, and was not sorry that he was back with him.

“I love you, too, my partner,” he whispered. “Despite everything… I don’t regret coming back to see you again. I still would not mind being with you forever.”

He felt Yugi’s lips brush the top of his forehead, and they lay there quietly for a few minutes, entwined in each other’s arms. Atem always felt contented when they lay this way; being able to cuddle with both of them in the physical world was such a gift, and he felt both himself and Yugi relax.

He was starting to drift off when Yugi spoke again. “How did we not realize?” he said sadly.

“Hm?” Atem managed sleepily, his brain trying to kick back into gear.

“How did neither of us realize that Kaiba was taking things too far?”

Oh. “I wondered that myself,” Atem admitted, trying to ignore the flashback his memory provided - _“I’ll have my victory over you”_ \- and only partially succeeding. “Down… down there,” he made himself say, his voice a harsh whisper. “I wondered why I didn’t guess at his true plan. I don’t have an answer.”

“He always did have a way of doing everything at an utterly ridiculous level,” Yugi mused. “But still…”

“It’s easy to become used to extreme behavior if it’s consistent,” Atem agreed, trying to focus his mind on the fact that he was safe. “And Kaiba has… always been extreme.” _The crack of the whip, the agony…_ He couldn’t suppress a shudder.

Yugi noticed it. “He’s never touching you again,” he said, his voice suddenly fierce. “Never, _ever_ again. Not while I have anything to say about it.”

“That… is my preference,” Atem tried to keep his tone light, but knew right away that he failed. He never wanted to _look_ at Kaiba again, much less feel him touch him.

“Atem,” Yugi said slowly, “Did he… did he ever _say_ what he wanted? What his goal was?”

Atem tensed. He was not afraid of telling Yugi… he was just… afraid in general. Yugi didn’t press him, and he knew his partner was giving him the option to back out of answering.

“...Yes, he did,” he finally said. “In a way.” _Kaiba’s insane laugh echoed in his ears_. “He kept saying he wanted to defeat me… but he really wants to break me. To the point where I’m all but mentally useless, I think.” _“I’ll get my victory over you, one way or another.”_ He flinched involuntarily, squeezing his eyes shut. “Though he also kept saying we’d be dueling afterward, so maybe he wanted to weaken me… but he kept going.” _The touch on the small of his back._

His breath caught. He really was fighting panic all over again, but he _wanted_ to tell Yugi, tell him everything. “He… he would have moved into…” he made himself take a breath, “...sexual assault, if you hadn’t stopped him.” He heard Yugi inhale sharply, and the arms around him became painfully tight. He made himself keep going. “He… he came so close, Yugi… I didn’t think he succeeded in breaking me, but…” he swallowed hard, unable to continue in anything but a rough whisper. “I’m so _afraid_ … it all keeps flashing back… I didn’t think I’d be so afraid… I don’t know if I can face him again anytime soon. And maybe that means… maybe that means he’s won.”

There. It was out. He felt relief and shame all at once, and felt himself start to cry again. He tried not to, if only because he could tell that if he let himself go, he’d end up having a full anxiety-ridden breakdown.

“Oh, god, Atem,” Yugi whispered. “My other half, my other self… it’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to cry it out, to deal with anxiety and panic and flashbacks after something like this. It’s _normal_.” One hand let go of its grip on his arm and began to massage his scalp in that soft, familiar way he knew so well. “You were _tortured_ , Atem. It’s not even been a full day since you’ve been out. The doctors said you’d need counseling, remember?” The tears were coming in earnest again, despite his efforts, but he managed a nod against his partner’s shoulder. “You are _not_ broken. You’re here with me, and you’re fighting against the panic, I can tell… and you’re telling me what you can, and that’s _brave_. It’s _so_ brave, my other self. You’re so strong and you will always be strong… but even the strongest need protecting sometimes, and everyone needs time to heal from terrible wounds.”

For the second time in less than 24 hours, Atem felt his barriers crumble in the face of his partner’s quiet strength. He let himself cry, felt the terror and pain threatening to overwhelm him all over again, felt the relief and security that came from Yugi’s protective embrace and words of comfort push back the worst of it.

Once again, Yugi cleaned his face and helped him blow his nose when he had cried himself out. Once again, he made sure Atem drank water and took his pain medicine. Atem felt himself grow sleepy.

“Go on and sleep some more, my other self,” Yugi whispered softly. “I’ll be right here. Always.”

Atem’s last thought before he fell asleep was that being with Yugi was worth all the pain in the world.


	4. Chapter 4

Mokuba frowned at the man in front of him, lacing his fingers together and leaning forward on his desk–something his brother did all the time, which he’d picked up.

His brother… the source of his current problem.

The man - Karita, he said his name was - fidgeted nervously. “Sir… well, I can see why you wouldn’t believe me…” he trailed off, swallowing hard.

Mokuba shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t believe you,” he said quietly, “it’s that I _do_ believe you, and don’t entirely know what to do about it.” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “So you know the pha–uh, Atem, is safe at home?” Karita nodded. “And my brother knows you helped them.”

He nodded again. “He said he’d ruin my family for doing so… I’d like to avoid that if I can, but if I can’t…” he shrugged. “I can’t regret doing the right thing. I’m sorry, sir, but what Master Kaiba was doing… it was… horrific.” His voice had slowly faded to a whisper. Mokuba could see the truth in his eyes.

Mokuba sighed. This, at least, he could do something about. “Well, I’d like you to avoid that, too. Yugi’s my friend, and so is Atem, whatever my brother says about it.” He mentally pulled himself together and focused. “All right. Well, it’s obvious you can’t keep working here,” he said, matter-of-factly. Karita nodded. “I can, however, send you to work as an administrative assistant in one of our subsidiary companies. You’ve got good skills in that department anyway, it seems. The pay isn’t quite as good as what you’ve been earning here, but it’s comparable. Once you’re gone, I doubt my brother will actively come looking for you.”

Karita’s face had gone from surprise to relief. “That sounds excellent, Master Mokuba,” he said in a rush, a smile flickering across his face. “Thank you, thank you so much.”

Mokuba let himself smile back. He was much more reasonable than his big brother, he knew, but he didn’t mind. Seto really was too hard on people… especially these days. “The one thing I absolutely need you to do, though,” he replied, his smile falling away, “is to keep this to yourself. Not a word,” he emphasized firmly. Karita swallowed. “I realize that what my brother has done and what he’s becoming is a problem… but it’s not something I can fix, or even _help_ , very quickly. I need you to trust that I _will_ do something, but I need time, and I need secrecy. Okay?”

Karita seemed to search his face for a moment. Then he nodded and bowed. “You have my word, Master Mokuba,” he said. “I’ll say nothing unless you need me to.”

Mokuba nodded. “Get whatever you have here and go home,” he said, “I’ll have your assignment ready for you tomorrow and you can begin as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir,” Karita said, turning to go. He paused at the door.  “And sir… thank you again. And… be careful.” He opened the door and was gone, shutting it quietly behind him.

Mokuba sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair, his gaze wandering around his home office… thinking.

So… Seto had legitimately gone off the rails. It pained him to admit it even to himself, but there was no denying it.

He’d always been a little crazy; everyone knew that, but he was such a genius and held himself in such control that everyone shrugged it off. And Mokuba loved him for it, anyway.

Seto had gone traveling through dimensions to the afterlife to see the pharaoh. Unbelievable, and crazy, but entirely like his brother to refuse to let go of an idea until he’d exhausted all possibilities.

And then… again, entirely characteristically, he’d not only succeeded, but done it again. And then succeeded in bringing Atem _back with him_ , just to see if it would work, to see if the pharaoh could _stay_ a while. And it had… and he could. Again, entirely unbelievable, more than a little crazy… but _successful_. It had opened up so many new possibilities, for technology and discovering other possible dimensions, that it was mind-boggling. Mokuba had been awed. His brother really could do anything.

But this? This was… something entirely different. This was torture. This was obsession… insanity. It _made no sense_.

The signs had been there, of course; Mokuba had seen the obsession grow in ways both obvious and subtle. But he’d always assumed that his brother knew what he was doing, and had known how to keep it in check. Seto had always operated with his company’s advancement in mind: even if he’d made a holographic version of the pharaoh seem entirely real, he’d also done it as a test run to make his Duel Links technology seem as real as possible _in general_. And that would make its commercial success a guarantee.

His ideas and technologies and programming were unmatched and impeccable, and so who cared if he fixated a little too much on the one duelist who’d always put his skills to the test? No one.

...Until, of course, he’d kidnapped Atem, the person he’d gone to such lengths to see, right off the streets of Domino, dragged him to their mansion, and subjected him to various kinds of torture to the point where some of their staff had quietly - _and_ , thought Mokuba, _understandably_ \- rebelled. He’d set up a space for dueling in their backyard… but had either decided physical punishment was preferable, or had used that as a pretext while planning this all along.

Or… something else.

Mokuba hadn’t been there when Yugi and his friends had put a stop to it all. He had, however, come home in the middle of the police “investigation”... if one could even call it that. They were too deeply in the Kaibas’ pockets to want to do much. It wasn’t justice, and Mokuba knew it, but had been too focused on getting Seto to calm down and take a strong sedative to let it bother him.

Now, though, he could give the problem his full attention. And it was a very, _very_ complicated, enormous problem.

There was the issue of his brother’s sanity, and Atem’s safety. The two were, to his estimation, intertwined: There was no way Seto would let this go; he’d see it as a defeat, and Mokuba knew full well how badly he took defeats even when he was his normal self. He’d keep after Atem. He’d go after Yugi for leverage, or just for good measure. And the justice system would not protect them.

His brother, when sanest, knew when to step back, or at least try a different approach. In his current state, however, he’d go to whatever lengths he wanted… and he had the resources to do so. And there weren’t too many people who were prepared to stand up to him, let alone stop him.

Then, there was the issue of their reputation and their company’s security. Seto put that ahead of almost everything. The company owed its successes to him, and he was the driving force behind most of their innovations. To most people, Seto Kaiba and KaibaCorp were one and the same.

But now, Seto couldn’t be trusted. He was too unstable, too obsessive, too… well, crazy.

He’d drive the company into ruin, and the both of them along with it, if he kept this up.

He'd worked too hard to let that happen. And, for that matter, so had Mokuba.

Mokuba sat back up slowly, staring at his computer screens without registering what was on them. He felt hot and shivery, like he had a fever.

But he couldn’t help it. The one logical conclusion to all of this was that Seto was no longer fit to run his own company, and needed to be removed. He wouldn’t leave quietly, and he had too much control right now for anything remotely direct to be successful.

It went against everything Mokuba knew.

There was no denying that it would be a betrayal. Even if it was for the right reasons, Seto wouldn’t see it any other way, no matter what happened.

Mokuba himself couldn’t see it any other way, either. He felt anxiety and bitterness well up inside just at the thought.

He’d always supported Seto in everything he did. Seto was his whole _world_. He’d pulled them out of uncertainty in the orphanage, he’d pulled them out of their stepfather’s clutches, and he’d made them the two most famous and respected business people in the world.

But now?

Mokuba shut his eyes, firmly pushing back his fear, refusing to cry. He took one deep breath, then another.

He could see no alternative, no matter how he looked at it.

Atem would not be safe unless his brother was stopped.

Yugi would not be safe.

Seto himself would not be safe. Heck, _he, Mokuba,_ would not be safe.

Their company, everything they’d worked for since Gozaboro had taken them in, would crumble if Seto wasn’t stopped… but it would crumble if Seto was yanked away, too, like a building without a foundation stone.

His brother had to be pushed out. Slowly… but he had to be ousted.

And Mokuba had to take his place.

It would not be easy, even from a purely logistical standpoint. He would have to be subtle. He’d have to move in the background, draw up support for his own work and leadership without giving away what he was after.

But he could do it. He was probably the only person who could pull it off. He was a Kaiba himself, after all… smart enough, cunning enough, and already in a strong position to start moving. He didn’t want the responsibility and stress of running KaibaCorp by himself… but he didn’t want everything to fall apart, either.

He had to do this. And even if his brother hated him for the rest of his life, he’d make sure to take care of him.

KaibaCorp had been taken over once, by the two of them working together.

Now, he’d work to take it over himself… and would have to work against the person he loved most.

He opened his eyes and straightened, focusing on his screens, and then turned his gaze to his phone.

First, he’d call Yugi.

Then, he’d get to work.

* * *

Atem watched Yugi pace their bedroom from his position in bed. Joey and Tristan, from their respective spots on the floor and the desk chair, watched him, too, concern on their faces. It was obvious from what Yugi had just told them that he was not happy.

“So… what now?” Tristan said, breaking the silence. “We wait?”

“Apparently,” Yugi growled, turning abruptly to face them all. He really was angry, though his glower faded when his gaze found Atem. Abruptly, he sighed and leaned against the wall nearest the door, running his hands through his hair. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I don’t mean to take this out on you guys. I’m just… just _frustrated_.”

“I get ya, pal,” Joey grumbled, frowning at the floor. “I wanna _do_ something.”

“Mokuba’s got a point, though,” Tristan said reluctantly. “Trust me, I want nothing more than to bash Kaiba’s face in, but let’s face it, there isn’t much we _could_ do. He’s too powerful and too protected, and whatever _he’d_ do to _us_ wouldn’t be punished by the law.”

“It was decent of him to call you, Yugi,” Atem couldn’t help pointing out. He was having trouble processing all the information himself, but he felt legitimately grateful that the younger Kaiba wanted to help him.

“I know,” Yugi practically groaned. “I did thank him. And I know any help is good… and Mokuba _said_ he has a plan… I guess I just don’t like the idea of Kaiba getting to do whatever he wants without facing justice for this. He needs to face _consequences_ for once, consequences that _matter_.”

Atem couldn’t help feeling concerned. “Partner,” he said quietly, and Yugi looked at him immediately, his face stormy. “It’s not like you to want revenge like this.”

“It’s not that,” Yugi protested. Atem quirked an eyebrow slightly, and Yugi sighed, acknowledging his point. “Okay, maybe it is a little,” he admitted, coming to sit on the bed near Atem. “But not _just_ that.”

“What is it, then, Yug’?” Joey asked quietly. “It kinda sounds like revenge… which I’m ALL for, by the way,” he added, making them all smile in spite of themselves.

“I’m… well, I’m afraid,” Yugi sighed, staring at his knees. “Mokuba said that one of the things he wants to do is monitor his brother and let us know if he starts coming for… for us.” Atem couldn’t help feeling a jolt of anxiety. He knew Yugi had meant _him_ . “Which is amazing, and I agree that Kaiba won’t let this go so any help on that front will be great. But… what if he doesn’t warn us in time? What if he’s not watching at the wrong moment? If Kaiba keeps getting away with this, who _knows_ what he’ll do next?” He looked over at Atem, and Atem could see the worry written all over his face; he felt it bubble up inside him in response. “I promised I’d keep you safe,” he whispered, his eyes becoming watery. “I don’t want to fail you. I don’t want him near you ever again. But… I don’t know how to stop him if he tries.”

Atem felt a mix of emotions rise. Affection for his partner warred with his fear of being dragged back to Kaiba’s torture chamber, which warred with a fierce determination to protect his other half, no matter what condition he himself was in. He managed to move his hand, resisting the urge to wince as his muscles throbbed in protest, sliding it towards Yugi. Yugi noticed, and quickly reached for it, clasping it tightly. His grip was comforting.

“Well,” Joey said after a moment, “you’re forgetting one thing, there, Yug’.” Yugi looked at him, keeping his hand clasped firmly around Atem’s own. Atem smiled a little, knowing what Joey was going to say just from his expression. “You think we’re gonna let you deal with that maniac by yourself? C’mon, dude. Atem,” Joey gave his trademark goofy smirk when Atem met his gaze, but his eyes were serious. “Can you please remind my best bud that we stick together? He seems to have forgotten. You didn’t transfer your concussion to him, did you?”

Atem couldn’t help grinning and Yugi gave a short laugh, looking both exasperated and amused.

Tristan interjected. “Seriously, Yugi,” he said earnestly. “We’re gonna be with you two as much as we can, and we’ll get everyone else we can trust to help, too. Bakura, Duke—Mai when she’s back in town—you know they’ll all stick with us, work schedules and all.”

Atem felt Yugi’s grip on his hand relax as the tension drained out of him. “Thanks, guys,” he said, finally smiling. “Guess I needed the reminder. And with Mokuba helping us, we’ll be able to stay ahead of whatever Kaiba tries to do.”

“That’s the spirit,” Joey exclaimed, hopping to his feet. “Now… it’s dinnertime soon, right? Because I dunno about you guys, but I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry, Joey,” Yugi teased. “But yeah it is, and I should really be helping grandpa with it.” He released Atem’s hand, but Tristan got up first.

“Nah, don’t worry, Yugi, I’ll go help,” he said. “I’ll have to go to bed soon after anyway; I got my factory shift in the early morning.” He left, giving them all a little wave as he did so.

“Okay then,” Yugi said, turning to face Atem again. “How about we clean you up a bit and have a bathroom run? Then we can eat together.” He smiled.

Atem was not particularly excited about the idea but knew he needed both a wipedown - he wouldn’t be able to bathe until he healed more - and a toilet break. It… would just _hurt_. And he _hated_ feeling so helpless, even though he knew his friends didn’t mind. “Okay,” he said. “To both. And the eating,” he added, realizing he’d had nothing but water and juice over the past day.

“Okay then,” Joey said, “I’ll go get the water warm and the washcloths ready. And THEEEEN we feast,” he declared, posing dramatically with a fist in the air, which made both Yugi and Atem laugh as he sauntered out.

It hurt to laugh, but Atem didn’t mind. Pretty much everything caused him pain anyway, and laughing hurt in a good sense. Yugi was shaking his head at his friend’s antics as his laughter faded into an amused smile. He turned to Atem and brushed a stray lock of hair away from his face. “You won’t be able to eat much, I don’t think,” he said gently. “But take it slow and it shouldn’t bother your stomach.”

“Well, Joey will have no problem picking up my slack,” Atem said lightly, though the idea that he’d have to manage chopsticks when he couldn’t sit up on his own was not a pleasant one.

Though… he supposed Yugi would help him. That wouldn’t be too bad.

Yugi snorted. “He’ll eat the entire shop if we’re not careful.” His fingers traced an absent pattern in Atem’s hair, on his scalp.

Atem’s amused agreement stuck in his throat as that last word seemed to echo in his head. _Careful_ … “Yugi,” he said quietly. “Could you—I mean…” he faltered, not quite sure how to say what he wanted to say.

Yugi’s gaze became concerned. “Feeling anxious?” he asked gently. The hand stroking his hair moved to his shoulder.

“A little,” Atem admitted. “I’m not… sure I understand how Mokuba can help keep… Kaiba… away.” He’d had to take a breath when he said Kaiba’s name; his leering face flashed into his mind’s eye.

“I don’t understand all the technical aspects of it,” Yugi sighed. “Mokuba’s a lot smarter than all of us, even you, I think. What I think it boils down to is that I’m going to let him track my phone, and yours if you like, though I’ll be with you anytime we go out, I think. And he’ll track Kaiba’s phone, or communicator or whatever. He said he’ll set up some kind of alert so that if Kaiba starts moving in our direction, we’ll know and we’ll be able to leave before he gets there.”

Atem fought down the anxiety rising up. “He… he’ll often send someone else, though,” he said, hating how his voice wavered. “And… well… it’s not like I can move right now anyway…” He swallowed hard. “What if he—and I can’t…” he cut off, feeling the panic start. He tried to breathe, closing his eyes.

“Deep breaths, my other self,” Yugi said gently, taking his hand and squeezing it. “Inhale nice and slow.” Atem tried his best. “That’s it. Hold it for a second… good, now let it out.” His exhale made him slightly lightheaded… but he was able to inhale slowly again, and hold it again, and exhale, as Yugi told him. It helped to have something to focus on.

He kept talking as Atem concentrated, both on breathing and Yugi’s voice. “I asked those questions too. Mokuba says he’ll be notified if someone else is sent out. I don’t know how; maybe he’ll hack something, or he knows enough people on his staff that he can trust. Either way, we’ll have to trust that he’s got a good handle on things.” He sighed. “For the rest… I don’t think he knew how badly you’ve been hurt. When I told him you won’t be able to even walk for a little while, he was surprised. He said he’d find a couple of plainclothes bodyguards to watch the shop in shifts just in case. I’m… he’s… really trying to help as best he can; it’s so admirable,” Yugi’s tone shifted to one of relief. “He even offered to help us find a physical therapist for you, to help you build up your strength properly once you’ve healed enough to do so.”

Atem had been breathing the way Yugi had told him, and it was helping, but that last part surprised him enough that the panic receded. “...He did?” he rasped a little, and swallowed. “That’s… that’s really… really kind of him, partner.”

“I know,” Yugi said quietly. “He’s being incredibly generous; I know he feels terrible about what happened, even if he doesn’t know the details. He really cares about people… unlike his brother,” he added, his tone suddenly bitter for a moment. “But… I can’t help but think this is only a short-term solution, you know? We’ll have to come up with something better than this for the long-term…” he trailed off, thinking.

Atem felt his panic spike again. Long-term… living with Kaiba constantly looming over his shoulder… he tried to breathe, tried to tell himself that he would heal and would be able to face him again sometime…

“Atem?” Yugi’s concerned voice seemed far away, though he knew he was right there. “Breathe, love,” he whispered, and Atem hardly heard him over the roaring in his own ears. “Breathe.”

Yugi would be with him. He tried to breathe evenly, tried to pull his gasping under control. Inhale. Exhale. Yugi would be there for him, wouldn’t leave him alone unless it was with Joey or Tristan. He’d promised to protect him.

Inhale. Exhale. He felt hot and clammy; his face felt numb.

But if Kaiba tried to come for him…

 _Yugi will protect you_ , he tried telling himself sternly, fighting to get himself under control. He could hear his partner talking to him, but could hardly make out the words. _You’re safe with him_.

...But… the thought rose unbidden, but it turned everything in him to molten terror… what if Kaiba hurt his partner? What if… he came for _Yugi_ if he couldn’t get Atem? _No… no he can’t. He can’t..._

Arms encircled him, maneuvering under his head, drawing him close. He could hardly tell which way was up, but his right arm found his partner and clutched at whatever part of him was closest.

He was crying again, his breath coming in ragged gasps, but it felt like he was getting no air at all. The panic, the terror of losing Yugi, his rock, who was protecting him as Atem had protected him… he couldn’t control it. He was drowning in it; he couldn’t control _anything_ , and it was terrifying.

“Breathe, Atem,” Yugi’s voice was right by his ear. “You can do it. Hold tight to me, I’m right here.”

He was right there. He was okay.

But… but…

“Yugi,” he managed to choke out. His entire face tingled, his lips numb and clumsy. “Please… please don’t leave…” No, that wasn’t what he meant to say… why couldn’t he get the words out…?

“Never, love,” Yugi’s voice in his ear was intense and gentle at the same time. “Never, ever.”

“If—if he…” he had to get this out, it was important somehow. “You… you run.”

“...What?”

He was hardly coherent in his panic but he knew he had to try again. “Don’t… let him take you,” he gasped. “Don’t… if it’s just… you and me… and he… he…” he couldn’t help a strangled sob, “don’t… just stay safe… don’t let him…”

Yugi’s sharp gasp told him he’d gotten his point… hopefully. “Atem!” his cry was almost offended. _No, Yugi, don’t get mad, don’t go_ …

“Atem, do you _really_ think I’d abandon you like that?” Yugi’s voice was louder. “Listen to me, okay? I am going to protect you. No matter what. Kaiba will have to _go through me_ to get to you. And he won’t get to you, because he _won’t_ get through me.”

No… no that wasn’t… wasn’t what he meant. ”No… he can’t… hurt you,” he managed between panicked gasps; he could hardly feel his own lips move. “I can’t… don’t let him hurt you…”

“...Oh, Atem,” Yugi’s voice was rough, but Atem could hear the understanding in his tone. “He won’t, okay? I won’t let him near you, but I promise I won’t let him hurt me either. We’ll be safe, together, always. I promise.”

“...Mmkay.” It only helped a little, but… it did help.

“I’m going to count, okay? And you try to breathe with me as I count. In for four, hold for four, out for four, okay? A little breathing game.”

He felt lightheaded, still hot and shaking. He still couldn’t control his breathing but… a breathing game. It might… it might help. He managed to grunt his assent.

“ _In_ -two-three-four; _hold_ -two-three-four; _out_ -two-three-four…” Yugi’s voice was a comforting calm, steady and even, and even though he struggled to match his breathing to the counting, it was like an anchor keeping him safely grounded. His partner’s hands traced soothing circles on his shoulders, in the same rhythm.

Slowly, it became easier to breathe with Yugi’s rhythm count. It became less of a struggle… then it became mere concentration… and then it began to feel natural. He felt himself relax, cooling down, loosening his death grip on Yugi’s shirt as feeling returned to his face.

Yugi stopped counting. “Good job, love,” he said, and Atem could hear his smile. “You win.” He kissed Atem’s forehead softly.

They lay there for a couple of moments, Atem feeling the last of his panic ebb away. He felt spent.

“Do you still want a wipedown and the toilet before dinner? Panic attacks can be exhausting,” Yugi’s tone was sympathetic.

He considered for a moment. He felt… a little grimy, if he was honest with himself. The panic attack had made him sweat. And… well, he did need to pee.

“Yes… yes, please,” he murmured.

“Okay.” Atem felt Yugi shift. “You can come in, Joey, he’s okay now.”

Oh. He’d forgotten… he felt embarrassment tingle in his cheeks. He opened his eyes, which felt painful after crying twice in one day… well, three times, if he counted yesterday.

Joey’s face appeared as he knelt down to be eye level with the two of them. “Hey there, bud,” he said, smiling sympathetically. “Ready?” Atem nodded.

Yugi sat up, extricating himself from Atem slowly, so that Joey could pick him up again. As they made their way to the bathroom, Joey said lightly, “I thought we’d make you real pretty.” Atem grunted in surprise. Yugi’s snort came from behind them. “What? Lovely scented soap… facial… manicure… you’ll be gorgeous in no time.”

“And where did you find all those supplies, exactly?” Yugi sounded amused. “Do you keep a stash for yourself?”

“O’course! Can’t you smell the difference?”

“...I’d rather not try…”

“Pfft, you chicken. Atem’s not complaining.”

Atem couldn’t help smiling a little, and his smile stayed when Joey set him down gently and held him up so he could use the toilet as best he could, continuing his banter with Yugi.

“Joey, we slept outside in Duelist Kingdom, I _know_ what you smell like _way too well_ …”

“That was _then!_ And you didn’t smell great either, dude.”

He was drained from the panic attack, and the anxiety was still there in the back of his mind. He knew that Yugi and Joey were teasing each other mostly for his own benefit, to keep his mind off the pain and helplessness… and he appreciated it. It did seem to help a little.

“ _You_ , Yug’, are just jealous that you can’t look _or_ smell as fabulous as me.”

“No, I just don’t need extra products to feel better about myself. I’m an all natural man, Joey!”

“Yes, indeed you are,” Atem managed to interject, which prompted Yugi’s face to turn a _fantastic_ shade of red, and Joey nearly lost his grip on him from laughing so hard. He felt warmth spread inside him.

He had the best friends in the world. And the best partner in the world.

Wiping him down took some careful maneuvering, though they decided to wait until the next day to change his bandages, since a nurse from the clinic would be stopping by to check on him anyway. But just that amount of cleaning helped him feel much better.

He avoided looking in the mirror, though.

They got him settled in bed, mostly sitting up and leaning on the pillows on his left side… which put pressure on the bruises and burns on that arm, but it was a welcome change from being on his stomach all the time.

They all ate in the bedroom, even Tristan and Grandpa, and as he’d suspected, Yugi had to help him eat because managing chopsticks was a bit difficult. But it was nice being surrounded by company, the people he cared most for and who were showing their care for him in incredible ways already. He loved them all, and made sure to tell them how much he appreciated them more than once.

The anxiety never truly went away, though, and Atem felt it in the back of his mind, a tiny knot in his stomach that seemed to just be waiting.

It waited as Tristan said goodbye and went off to get a few hours’ sleep before work, promising Atem that he’d be back once he left in the afternoon. It waited as Joey, Yugi and Grandpa helped him get ready for bed, making sure he used the bathroom and took his medicine, and that he was comfortable once he was situated.

It waited as Joey went to take a nap and Yugi sat by their bed, on his “shift” of watching over him.

It was hard for him to relax, feeling the weight of his fear sitting there, not raging forward but not going away. However, the combination of digesting his first real meal in over a day, taking the powerful pain medicine that made him drowsy, and the exhaustion the panic attack had left in its wake… he fell asleep anyway.

It manifested in his dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential triggers: violence, anxiety

_Kaiba’s face was inches from his own, his expression a nasty smirk. He couldn’t move; he had no idea what was binding him, but he was immobilized from head to toe. He shook, wondering what Kaiba would do to him, terrified and ashamed of his fear at the same time._

_“If you won’t break for me… maybe_ he _will.” Kaiba’s voice was both a whisper and a shout, his tone harsh._

_He turned away, walking to an enormous computer terminal. Atem looked around, and his heart nearly stopped._

_Yugi. Yugi was suspended from the ceiling by his wrists, stripped to his briefs. Just like he’d been._

_He recognized those cuffs._

_“NO!” he tried to shout, but couldn’t move his mouth. There was nothing in or around his mouth that prevented him from speaking… but he couldn’t nonetheless._

_Kaiba’s laughter echoed through the room. Lightning shot down the cables to the cuffs… to Yugi._

_Yugi screamed._

_“NO,” Atem tried to scream again, again to no avail. Terror shot through him, horror that it was Yugi who suffered; it was his fault, all his fault..._ No, no, please, not him _, he thought desperately_ , I’ll do anything… don’t do this… not Yugi...

_Yugi was thrashing, his screams echoing over Kaiba’s laughter, and every one tore through Atem’s entire being. He tried to struggle, tried to shout, scream, anything. But nothing worked._

_“HELP ME,” Yugi screamed and Atem realized his eyes were staring into his own, streaming tears and full of pain. His face was gaunt, battered, desperate. “Please—Atem please… help… Atem…”_

_He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. He strained towards his partner with every fiber of his being._

_“Atem…”_

_He was failing. He was failing the one he loved most._

_“Atem…”_

_Yugi seemed to recede, but Kaiba’s laughter stayed._

“Atem!”

He jerked awake suddenly to see Yugi’s frightened face inches from his own. For a split second, Atem thought he was still in the nightmare, but recognized the soft light from the nightstand lamp. It was familiar. It lit his partner’s face—his healthy, unhurt, beautiful face—as it shifted from fear to worry.

He tried to grasp Yugi’s hand, but failed. He couldn’t move. Instantly, he panicked, trying desperately to free himself, uncaring of the protests his body made. He had to move, he _had to_ help Yugi, he couldn’t let him–

“Atem, no, stop,” Yugi said insistently, “Shhh… it’s just the blankets. Hang on, I’ll fix them.”

The terror and adrenaline were pumping through him, but he made himself stay still. He could do that for his partner.

Yugi reached over and disentangled him from the sheets and blankets that had ensnared him, covering him again gently. “You were twitching and moving,” he said, his voice wavering a bit. “I was afraid you’d hurt yourself or tear your stitches… I thought tucking you in tighter would help you feel safe; I’m sorry...”

Atem’s hand was free and he ignored the pain as he reached desperately for his partner’s hand. Yugi grasped it tightly and he gripped back as hard as he could, feeling the wave of terror slowly recede.

“What happened?” Yugi said softly. His other hand came up to cover their clasped hands, encasing his own entirely in warmth.

“Kaiba,” Atem rasped. His throat hurt, as though he’d been screaming again. “He—he had you. He was hurting you. And I couldn’t… I couldn’t move…” his voice broke. He closed his eyes, feeling tears once again. “You kept… begging me to help… and I couldn’t…”

Yugi said nothing for a long moment. Atem felt himself get sleepy, no doubt due to the medicine still in his system. Then, he felt Yugi’s softly lips brush his own. He responded immediately as best he could, only to realize just that moment how much he needed it. Yugi’s next kiss was firmer, but still gentle, his fingers gently brushing Atem’s cheek before resting back on his hand.

“How about I sleep with you tonight? I don’t—well, I don’t want to accidentally hurt you if I move in my sleep, but… maybe if I’m holding you, I’ll end up staying still. Would you like that?” Yugi’s thumb stroked his hand.

Atem felt tension he didn’t know he still had rush away; he felt surrounded by fear, but Yugi would keep him safe. “Yes,” he breathed. “I’d love that.”

“Okay.” He could hear the smile in his partner’s voice. “I’ll change into my PJs and let Joey know, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Lemme know wha…?” a half-coherent mumble came from below them, followed by a yawn. “S’matter?”

“Nothing,” Yugi said, extricating his hands from Atem’s grip. “Just gonna stay in bed with Atem tonight. It’s almost your shift, though.”

“Don’ be loud,” came the sleepy reply. “Getta room–MMPH,” he grunted in protest. Atem cracked an eye open in time to see his partner very clearly stepping _off_ of something—some _one_ —as he made his way to his dresser.

“You’re _in_ my room,” Yugi said sweetly, grabbing his pajamas and changing. “If you stay and hear what happens, that’s your problem.”

Atem felt his mouth quirk into a tiny smile. “Agreed,” he murmured, amusement trickling past the emotional weight of the last few minutes, a tiny stream that sent cracks through the wall of fear.

“You two,” groaned Joey as he sat up. “Are gross. All the time. You know that, ri—Yug’ if you step on me again, I _SWEAR…_ ” Yugi grinned and stopped in his tracks, clearly about to do just that. Instead, however, he made a big show of stepping over Joey’s legs on his way to the bed, getting a half-hearted, half-amused glare from his friend through his mop of disheveled hair.

“You deserve it,” his partner sniffed primly, promptly ruining the effect by climbing over the foot of the bed so he was on Atem’s left side, right near the wall. “Doesn’t he, Atem?”

“Mm-hmm,” Atem assented, carefully turning his head so he was facing Yugi. His partner maneuvered his arm underneath his head again, so Atem was using his shoulder as his pillow. He liked resting on Yugi’s shoulder better than even a hundred pillows, and Yugi knew it.

“Never gonna win against you two,” Joey grumbled good-naturedly. Atem heard him get up and stretch.

“King of Games,” said Yugi, pausing in his careful movements to point to himself. “And… other… King of Games,” he finished awkwardly, pointing to Atem. “Pharaoh of Games? Either way, nope, you never will.”

“Challenge accepted,” Joey said, sounding more awake now. “But fine, have fun cuddlin’. I’ll make sure neither of you squashes the other, aight?”

“Thanks, Joey,” Yugi’s tone was genuinely grateful.

“Kinda like Pharaoh of Games,” Atem murmured into Yugi’s shoulder. Already, he felt the pull of sleep becoming more insistent, Yugi’s presence soothing him better than anything else.

“Eh… King of Games has a better ring to it,” Yugi yawned a little, snuggling in a little closer.

“...’s because it’s your title now,” Atem mumbled.

Yugi chuckled quietly. “Maybe.” He sighed, and Atem felt him relax. “Love you, other self. Sleep now, mmkay?”

Atem merely grunted in response. He was safe… and so was Yugi. Somehow, he knew that he didn’t need to worry about nightmares anymore tonight.

* * *

Yugi listened to Atem’s breathing, slow and even, the cadence of deep sleep. Joey’s chaotic snores came from below and off to the side, on the cushions that had become their secondary bed. He didn’t usually like being awake this early in the morning; the sunrise was just starting to lighten the room, but Joey had let him sleep in an extra hour past their agreed-upon shift change time. However, the quiet and peace of the room was calming, and he was warm and comfortable, his arms around his other half, Atem’s head using his shoulder as a pillow.

The quiet and peace of the room gave him time to think. And he had a lot to sort out in his mind.

It hadn’t yet been two full days since Atem’s torture and rescue, and he knew that his partner’s emotions were as ragged as the injuries that were healing… but he was very, very concerned about his mental well-being.

Never, not once, in the time they’d known each other, had he seen Atem like this. He’d seen him uncertain, or worried, or concerned, of course; he’d seen him nervous and afraid… once or twice, panicky when Yugi’s own life had been in danger. But they were short-lived spurts, for the most part.

This was… entirely new. It was understandable, of course… He used to deal with anxiety himself, so he knew how to help when Atem panicked, but it broke his heart to see him so scared and upset.

It also made him angry all over again. Angry at Kaiba, for dragging him out of his well-deserved rest in the afterlife only to make him suffer again and again. Angry at himself, for not finding him sooner, for being too selfishly wrapped up in his own happiness at being with Atem to realize that his time out of the afterlife had gone on for too long for it to just be a normal “experiment.” He’d made peace with sending the person he loved most away; it was what Atem needed after being trapped within the Puzzle for so long. They’d both said everything they’d needed to say to each other before that goodbye, rushed as it was… but this brief second chance was too enticing to refuse for both of them, and now Atem was paying an awful price.

Even though he knew it was pointless, the regrets and “should haves” echoed and repeated over and over again in his mind. Atem would have scars both physical and mental, and they would take a long time to heal. Yugi wouldn’t be surprised if his partner _couldn’t_ return to his rest until they did, and while the physical injuries would take mere weeks, he knew emotional trauma could take years and years to heal… and sometimes never truly did.

God, what’d he’d been through… Yugi closed his eyes briefly against the image that flashed across his mind: _The door to the prison flying open, Kaiba with a horrifyingly satisfied leer on his face raising a lethal-looking_ **_whip_ ** _above his other half, who was slumped, hanging almost lifelessly from his restraints, covered in blood; Yugi’s pure terror that they were too late threatening to overwhelm him…_ He reflexively tightened his grip on his slumbering partner, blinking back sudden tears, taking a couple deep breaths to calm down.

He wanted Atem to be happy. More than anything. He would support him and love him and do everything he could to help him heal. And he _would not_ lose him to this, would _not_ let Kaiba hurt him ever again. That was that.

And on that note… there was the matter of keeping Kaiba away from him. _Far_ away. And that was a much more difficult problem to tackle.

Yugi trusted Mokuba, and was grateful for the younger Kaiba’s offer of help, but was still worried. There was no doubt that should Kaiba want to pursue Atem, he could do so without difficulty. Even with Mokuba’s warnings, merely getting away in time was a short-term solution, not a long-term one… and he had to think long-term. At least for a few months, anyway.

He suspected that Mokuba had an idea or two on that front. He had hinted at something, rather vaguely, and the younger Kaiba was exceptionally smart in his own right - probably as smart as Kaiba himself had been at his age. Except he had far more compassion and empathy for people.

Otherwise, though, they were kind of stuck. The obvious choice was to move away from Domino… but that would mean leaving Grandpa and the game shop, not to mention their friends. Staying in Domino kept them too close to Kaiba, but also surrounded by friends and family who could help. And Kaiba could probably find them anywhere they went, anyway.

They could potentially have Atem sleep at a different friend’s house every couple of nights or so… but that also was not a long-term solution, and would have to wait until he was strong enough to do so, anyway.

Going public with the story was out of the question… and not only because of Atem’s severe reaction to the idea. Mokuba had specifically asked that he not do so. When he’d demanded why not, the younger Kaiba had merely answered that if they waited, they could use it to their advantage better. Which had NOT made Yugi very happy, but he hadn’t fought too hard on it, knowing that Atem wanted to avoid it anyway. Mokuba had also, however, implied that spreading rumors wasn’t off the table.

...Now _that_ was a thought. Yugi was not the type to spread rumors himself… but word of mouth was a powerful thing. And if Kaiba was still as avid about keeping his company’s image, and his own by extension, in the clear… rumors that he’d harassed his greatest rival might actually keep him away. Not forever… but it could buy them some time. A month or two, maybe?

He’d have to talk to Joey and Grandpa about it later. But it was a start.

It would be like playing the world’s slowest chess game. He preferred dueling, as chess was more difficult in some ways, and took more time. Both Kaibas were excellent at it, he knew. But he wasn’t bad at it, himself.

And the stakes couldn’t be higher, at least for him. A mistake on his part could cost Atem his health, his life… everything.

Yugi would _not_ let Kaiba near Atem. He would not let Atem get captured again; he would protect him with everything he had.

He began to strategize.


	6. Chapter 6

Mokuba watched his brother storm back and forth across his home office. He had rarely seen him this furious, and when he had, it was never directed at him. He had never fully appreciated just how terrifying Seto’s temper could be until now.

He stood his ground, though, both literally and figuratively. With his brother, even a step backwards was a sign of weakness.

“You _have_ to understand this, Seto,” he said, trying to sound firm, though his frustration did show. “You’re the one who always goes on about our public image.”

“I don’t _have to_ understand _shit_ ,” Seto snarled, whirling around to glare at him. “I can do whatever the hell I WANT and NO ONE can stand in my way, not the police, not corporate buffoons, and _definitely not you._ ”

“Oh sure, and HOW will it look if Seto Kaiba drags his gravely injured dimension traveler into a torture chamber _for a second time_?” Mokuba snapped. “I’ve talked to Yugi and asked him to keep things quiet, but do you—”

“You WHAT?” Seto growled, cutting him off.

Mokuba continued, glaring right back. “OF COURSE I talked to him, Seto! What, did you think he and his friends would slink off with their friend and not SAY anything? After you dragged him out of the afterlife as an _experiment_? Come on, big brother, THINK about it.” Seto opened his mouth for a moment… and then, very uncharacteristically, closed it again. “Anyway. Even IF he’s true to his word and keeps things quiet, how fast do you think that’ll disappear if you go after his partner a second time?”

Not to mention the fact that what he was doing in the first place was all kinds of crazy and morally despicable, but that kind of logic would not work on Seto.

“Who cares,” growled his brother after a moment, still glaring down at Mokuba, his arms crossed tightly, “if they start talking? It’s my word against theirs.”

“Yeah. YOUR word against SEVERAL PEOPLE, including the most respected duelist in the world, and from what I understand, Atem’s literally going to have the scars to prove it. Even if it _can’t_ be proven, what will happen to your reputation? The company’s? We narrowly avoided a disaster with Diva’s dimension warping thing, you _know_ that, Seto!” Mokuba was getting a headache; Seto was always hard to argue with, but this time he was avoiding logic altogether.

“I want to finish what I goddamn _STARTED_ ,” his brother thundered, his face dangerous.

But Mokuba had had enough. “WHY?!” he yelled, in pure frustration. “WHY do you want to do this so badly; why did you even DO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE?! Why couldn’t you just let Atem stay dead and move o–”

“I HAVE TO BEAT HIM, THAT’S WHY.” Seto was right in his face now, his voice almost a maniacal scream. Mokuba desperately wanted to back away… but he knew he couldn’t.

Something must have shown on his face, though, because his brother’s face abruptly changed, going from insane fury to guilt and then to quiet frustration. He turned away sharply and walked to his desk, stopping with his back to Mokuba.

Mokuba stayed quiet. He knew he’d won… this round, at least.

“Fine,” his brother finally grumbled. “I’ll… hold off. For a while.”

Mokuba felt the tension in him relax significantly. That hurdle was clear. For now. “Good,” he said simply, and turned to go.

“Mokuba,” his brother called quietly. He turned, his hand already on the door. Seto was back to his usual stoic self, but Mokuba could see the conflict in his eyes. “This… will end up being good for both of us. And the company. I know it will.”

 _And that right there shows how far off the deep end you’ve gone_ , he thought sadly. “Get some rest, Seto,” he said, opting not to address it. “You still look like you need it.”

He left, closing the door behind him. He felt himself slump as he shuffled towards his own room; his verbal battle with his brother had been tense and draining.

He was doing the right thing. He knew that. He did not have any qualms about looking out for Yugi and Atem.

But watching his brother’s sanity spiral away while trying to simultaneously protect him and work against him… was really, _really_ difficult.

* * *

Atem’s days took on a slow, sleepy routine. Every other day, a nurse from the clinic would come by, change his bandages, and give him a general once-over to make sure he was healing as expected. She’d ask questions about his medication, how certain movements felt, and would offer advice when asked. When Yugi brought up Atem’s panic attacks, which had not subsided, she returned the next day with a prescription for a low dose of Xanax. It helped… but had the side effect of making him incredibly sleepy. Compounded with the powerful pain medication he needed until the worst of his injuries healed, he spent a lot of the first week or two unconscious.

At least Yugi wasn’t bankrupting himself paying for his care. Mokuba had overridden Yugi’s protests and insisted on covering everything Atem needed.

His waking hours were spent with at least one of his friends by his side, making sure he ate, drank and used the bathroom as he needed. Yugi had found some games for his phone that they could play; touching a smartphone screen was easier than holding cards or dice. They’d also been able to video chat with Téa, and once she got past her shock that he was back with them and her fury at Kaiba, her stories of acclimating to New York City and her dance program had them laughing and shaking their heads at the quirks of American society by turns.

His physical recovery was frustratingly slow, even though the nurse told him he was doing well. After about a week, he was able to try some very basic strength exercises for his arms and legs, to get them used to their usual functionality after being largely unused for several days. He tired easily, whether trying to walk with someone’s support, or even sit up for short periods of time without leaning on anything.

He didn’t let himself complain; he knew it was foolish. However, Yugi knew him way too well for his general frustration to go unnoticed. He was always ready with a distraction, from gaming news (there were rumblings of a new console that made excellent use of VR), to new movies to watch, to even videos of kids playing Duel Monsters. The latter proved to be a treasure trove of cuteness and humor; many of them pretended to be their favorite pro duelists, and a LOT pretended to be Yugi (“King of Games! I fight with HONOR.”), to Atem’s intense amusement… and quiet pride. Yugi was both embarrassed and flattered and to Atem, it was almost as entertaining to see his face turn scarlet as it was to watch the videos themselves.

Standing on his own. Balancing. Walking on his own. Dressing without help. Each came slowly back to him, but surely, and Yugi and his friends were encouraging and proud when he managed something new. Their genuine sincerity and care made the fact that “managing basics” had become a goal instead of the norm less embarrassing.

After the second week, his stitches came out. While he still had to be careful for several more weeks, he could shower properly again, and move a little more naturally.

He would, however, carry the scars for the rest of his life.

And it seemed his mind took longer to heal than his body.

He had nightmares fairly regularly that he woke from screaming and shaking. Some involved Kaiba coming back for him; others involved Yugi or his friends being tortured while he could do nothing. He hated those the most. He had never liked feeling helpless and the past couple of weeks had reinforced that all the more.

Yugi was always by his side, ready to hold him and comfort him until the fear receded. His friends were by his side as much as they could be, and were endlessly patient. They would talk about their strategies to work quietly against Kaiba and what he’d done, but only when they knew he could handle it. If he needed a distraction from his fear, they would comfort him or play a game. If he needed a rest, they helped him lie down. He was both enormously grateful for them and anxious that he was depending on them too much.

He voiced this concern to Yugi aloud one day, when they’d been resting together after walking a few solid blocks to the park. It was sunny and warm, the breeze playing pleasantly across their faces as they leaned against a tree. Actually, he was leaning against Yugi; his partner’s arms encircled him and he felt comfortable enough and safe enough to broach the subject.

His partner, predictably, snorted immediately. “Oh, my other self. How many times did I depend on you when I had the Puzzle? I lost count.”

Atem had to smile. “Not nearly as much as you think, partner. Once we’d made our connection, we worked together more often than not.”

“Okay, but how many times did you save our skins? Loads,” he continued before Atem could take a breath. His tone was light and warm, but Atem could hear an undercurrent of intensity. “You never complained; you never asked for our help even when you needed it. And half the time, we _couldn’t_ help, because who can help when you’re stuck in a Shadow Game? For this, we can, and we are.” His arms gave Atem a gentle squeeze. “I know it’s frustrating having to deal with healing; it’s never an easy process. But I’m happy to be here for you, and so are they. Okay?”

Atem closed his eyes, turning slightly to nuzzle his partner’s neck a little. “Okay.”

Yugi’s voice, which had been soft and low, picked up volume. “What Kaiba did to you takes a lot of time to recover from. But you will, I promise.”

Atem tensed a little automatically, Yugi’s arms responding in kind. There must have been people nearby for him to say something like that.

That was part of their plan… well, a plan that Mokuba had hinted at. Feed the rumor mill so that Kaiba would have to back away from them if he wanted to keep his company’s image pristine… which, as the younger Kaiba had assured them, he did. He’d apparently convinced his brother to steer clear for the time being anyway… but this would reinforce it.

Atem didn’t like it much, the feeling that what they were doing was underhanded notwithstanding. As far as the general public was concerned, he was the result of an experiment Kaiba had undergone to transcend dimensions and had been carried over accordingly; the fact that he looked like their top gaming champion was a strange coincidence that had earned them a few odd looks. The fact that they’d “taken to each other”, as some gossip rags liked to put it, was also cause for speculation.

It was a plausible story, and partially true in any case, but being viewed as “an experiment” was something neither he nor Yugi liked. It felt dehumanizing sometimes, particularly when someone would look at him like he was some kind of exotic artifact. This was just… adding to it, in a way. Especially with his face and arms still bearing the marks of abuse. But he needed the exercise anyway, and so these little excursions had the triple benefit of fresh air and sunshine, building up his strength again, and… drawing attention.

Yugi didn’t enjoy the spotlight in general, though he’d become much better at handling it, which Atem was incredibly proud of. And even before Kaiba’s horrors, his partner had been very protective of him, particularly when curious people tried to pepper him with prying questions. But they’d both agreed that Mokuba had had a point: direct confrontation would be a “my word against yours” squabble that Kaiba could easily crush. The power was not in their hands in that regard.

The rumor mill, however, was always too unpredictable and uncontrollable to just squash, and trying to do so just made it worse. But it was agonizingly slow sometimes.

“Sorry, love,” Yugi murmured, drawing him out of his thoughts. “Couple of girls opening booster packs walked near. They definitely heard, though; they paused and stared when they thought I wasn’t looking… so that’s good, I suppose.” He sighed, sounding resigned. “I don’t think I like this any more than you do, though.”

Atem grunted his agreement. For a while, they stayed where they were, just cuddling and drinking in the quiet park sounds around them.

“This is nice,” Yugi said softly, and Atem could hear how relaxed he was. “We should take time outside like this more often, especially once you’re fully back on your feet.”

“It is,” Atem couldn’t help smiling. “And we should.”

He jumped suddenly as a buzz emanated from Yugi’s pocket… right underneath his back. Yugi laughed quietly. “Just my phone… sorry, I forgot I’d put it in that pocket.” Atem maneuvered himself out of his partner’s arms with some disgruntlement so Yugi could get to it. Yugi, catching his irritated look, grinned with outright amusement. “You can get comfortable again in a minute, silly.”

“Stupid thing,” Atem grumbled, but half-heartedly; his partner’s humor was contagious. He saw Yugi’s expression change from amusement to concern as he read the message, though, and felt anxiety pull at him like an insistent child.

“Looks like we better go,” Yugi said, keeping his voice low. “Mokuba says Kaiba’s walking this way. He says it’s nothing to worry about as Kaiba doesn’t know where we are, but says he knows we don’t want to see him at all.”

Anxiety spiked, along with anger, but Atem pushed both down firmly. He was angry that merely hearing Kaiba’s name sparked fear, and at Kaiba for interrupting their peaceful afternoon, inadvertently or no. But he would not let himself be controlled by his own emotions, particularly in public. “Well, he’s not wrong,” he muttered.

Yugi helped him up slowly. His legs were pretty much fine, albeit not up to long walks yet; his back was what kept them both careful of his movements. The scars were healing… but Atem had never fully appreciated how _connected_ one’s back muscles are to _everything else_ , and one wrong move could do damage that set him back weeks.

So he let Yugi wrap his arm around his waist tightly, and put his own around his partner’s shoulders as they began to make their way home. He made sure to keep his chin level; he wouldn’t let himself duck his head in shame should someone catch his eye. Though honestly… he didn’t mind walking this way with Yugi one bit. It was wonderful, being able to walk side by side with the person he loved most, both of them physically present. Despite everything, or perhaps because of it, it was still a gift.

“Want to stop for noodles on our way back?”

Atem’s stomach growled suddenly, as if in answer, and they both laughed. “...I think you know my answer now,” he said dryly.

“Awesome! My treat.”

“...It’s always your treat, Yugi.”

“So? I like spoiling you.” The arm encircling his waist squeezed a little. “And hey… you’re strong enough for the walk now. You deserve it.”

Atem smiled, blushing a little in spite of himself. There was no one in the world better than Yugi. Once he was fully healed, he’d have to spoil _him_.  


	7. Chapter 7

“Yes, that’s correct,” Mokuba said crisply, holding his phone to his ear with one hand and typing on his laptop with the other. “Yes. Please keep me copied on the results; one of us will return them with notes for the next stage… excellent. Thanks.” He signed off, rolling his neck to rid it of the crick that always formed when he stayed on a call for too long.

He was proud of himself, actually. He’d managed to convince Seto to let him be included in more of the development processes, and it was an aspect of his job he genuinely liked. In his saner moments, Seto was proud of him, which meant the world… even though part of his goal was to usurp his position.

He glanced at the tracking software he kept running in a corner of his screen. Yugi and Atem were out walking, slowly at that, but otherwise everything was normal. Or rather, as normal as it could be, considering the circumstances.

Seto hadn’t gone back to “finish what he’d started,” but Mokuba could tell his restraint was chafing badly. He was making mistakes in his work now, mistakes that Mokuba often caught and fixed, sometimes without Seto even realizing it. Most of the employees who had noticed this change thought it was stress due to the rumors circulating, not to mention the prototype next-generation VR headsets that were nearing beta testing - always a stressful period.

Mokuba felt the now-usual mix of guilt and satisfaction when he thought of those rumors. Yugi had gotten his implication and he and his friends had started talking where people could hear. Combining them with Atem’s sudden battered appearance—the “experiment from another dimension”, like he was some kind of alien specimen—people were talking and word was spreading. As Mokuba had predicted, quashing the rumors was near impossible; any confrontation would be harped on for days… and thus, the only option was for his brother (and himself) to avoid both spiky-haired duelists until things died down.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t do so anytime soon.

Atem’s injuries, however, practically ensured that they wouldn’t. Mokuba had been aghast when he’d finally seen the pharaoh on a video feed, a bare few days after the incident, hardly able to walk without help. Yugi had refused to send him photos, and now he knew why; hearing the rundown of what he had to deal with from Yugi and _seeing_ the half-healed burns and bruises, the scabbed-over cuts, the slow and careful movements that broadcasted how much pain he was in, were two VERY different things, especially knowing that the worst of the damage was covered by any shirt the pharaoh wore. And the protective way Yugi held him and walked with him in public, the way Atem stuck so close to his side… maybe it was only obvious to Mokuba because he knew them both well, but Atem was clearly dealing with full-fledged emotional trauma.

One thought kept circling Mokuba’s mind when he thought of them: _Seto hadn’t planned on stopping_. He really would have outright murdered Atem if he hadn’t been interrupted, whatever he’d said about a duel afterwards.

Mokuba wasn’t sure if his brother knew that or had just assumed the pharaoh would take everything he did to him and live anyway. Neither option was comforting.

Either way, though, phase one of his plan was going perfectly. Even though his brother’s temper was—

“MOKUBA.” The door to his office crashed open, and Seto stormed in, his face dangerous.

Mokuba jumped in shock, but used that to mask his swift keystroke to hide the tracking program.

“Seto, you scared me, what’s wrong?” He let himself look worried.

His brother stalked up to his desk and slammed down a small sheaf of paper. “You CHANGED THESE SPECS on the prototypes? Without ASKING ME?! What the hell were you _thinking_?!”

Mokuba made himself take a breath and project calm. “Yes, Seto, because they needed changing or they would have failed.”

“FAILED?!” snarled his brother, truly looking deranged for a moment. “I FIXED the mistakes in the first one, you can’t just go behind my—”

“No, Seto, you missed something,” Mokuba tried to keep calm as he flipped through the pages, pulled one out, and slid it over. “Your calculation here is wrong, see? It would have made the circuitry stay too warm and the entire apparatus would have either shorted out or overheated to the point of combustion.” He pointed at the set of notes and code in question, and his brother’s expression went from fury to suspicion. He snatched the sheet and began to read carefully.

Mokuba decided to continue. “And these things go over people’s ears and the end piece is right in front of their eye; I didn’t want this to go to the factory for prototyping unless it was fixed. It could have been dangerous.”

It was entirely true, which was worrying. It played right into Mokuba’s plan, but he hated seeing Seto lose his grip. It was like losing a piece of his brother’s soul little by little.

After a moment, Seto let out a string of profanities and exhaled a long, exasperated breath. “Shit,” he growled reluctantly. “You’re right. This would have _ruined_ the entire testing phase; how the hell did I not see that?” He sighed and moved the page back towards Mokuba, looking a little defeated.

It broke his heart. “Hey… Seto, everyone makes mistakes sometimes, even you,” he said gently. “And this is what I’m here for anyway; learning about all of this and also watching your back. Right?” The lie seemed to stick in his throat a little. He _was_ watching his brother’s back… but not in the way Seto thought.

A tiny smile pulled at the corners of his brother’s mouth as he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He so rarely smiled at all these days; even these little signs meant a lot. “Right… and you’re getting really good at this, little brother.” He looked Mokuba in the eye, his expression fond. “You could be running things side by side with me in a couple of years if you’re already learning this fast.”

Mokuba felt a thrill of pride and excitement, though a painful wrench in his gut as well. “Really?” he grinned, letting his happiness show. “I’d _love_ that. I didn’t think I’d like this so much… but I really do.”

He felt his eyes get a little misty. He couldn’t wait a couple of years, of course, but… running the business with Seto as an equal partner would be amazing. Or… it would have been.

Seto sighed again, looking back at the report. “You didn’t find anything else wrong in here?”

“Nope,” Mokuba said crisply. Predictably, his brother had swerved back into business, rather than lingering on emotional talk; he was happy to follow. “Everything else looks good. I checked it over twice.”

“Good,” Seto said, frowning at the pages, staying silent for a moment. “I _hate_ that I’m making so many mistakes,” he growled finally. “I _never_ made mistakes like this before; this is the kind of idiotic amateur crap I usually catch in the new programmers.” Mokuba opened his mouth to reassure him, but he continued. “I should be _better_ than this; I _know_ I am!” He was growing angry now, his hands clenching into fists. “It’s _his fault_. That fucking _pharaoh,_  if only I could _finish things_ –”

“You _can’t_ ,” Mokuba interrupted desperately, anxiety spiking. “Seto–”

“I KNOW I CAN’T,” he thundered, his hands slamming down on the desk, his face now a mask of fury. “You keep REMINDING ME, but YES, Mokuba, I KNOW.” He looked frightening, out of control and not at all sane.

Mokuba stayed in his seat. “I’m sorry, Seto,” and he meant it, “but you–”

“You think I don’t know what this is?!” His brother stood, leaning his weight on his hands so he was towering above him. He couldn’t help swallowing a little nervously. “You think I _don’t know_ what you’re doing?!” A brief flash of pure shock shot through Mokuba; he couldn’t _possibly_ know… “You CARE about them, you want to PROTECT THEM, even though you _know_ what’s at stake, that I need to do this and end him and end _everything_ to make this better, and it’s GOING AGAINST ME. You care more about that fucking _relic_ than you do about me, don’t think I don’t know you’ve bought into the whole fucking friendship bullshit–”

Relief coursed through him, but he’d had enough. “NO, Seto,” he snapped back, standing so they were nose to nose, “I care about them, yeah, but I’m _more_ worried that I’m LOSING YOU.” Seto blinked, looking surprised. “Look at yourself! You can’t stop thinking about this, I can tell, and the fact that you _want to kill a person you pulled out of the afterlife_ should TELL YOU how dangerous this thinking—”

“Who fucking said I wanted to kill—” Mokuba overrode him.

“It’s like you said, you’re making mistakes because you’re obsessed with this, and I’m SCARED, Seto! I don’t want to risk losing you AGAIN, okay?!”

He was breathing hard, he realized, but it felt good to finally let his frustration and tension out.

Seto’s jaw had dropped and he was staring at him in open-mouthed astonishment. Mokuba felt his eyes tear up again, but let it happen. “I love you, big brother… I just want you to be yourself again.”

Guilt showed on his brother’s face, and in a moment, he looked like his old self. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t doubt you like that,” he said quietly, his gaze dropping. “It’s so _frustrating_ being unable to do anything… just sitting like a fool while all this speculation happens; I KNOW it’s logical,” he added quickly, “But I can’t stand it.”

Mokuba had no idea what to say; it wasn’t a promise to stop or to leave Atem alone. It was a promise that he would act once he thought he could do so. And Mokuba was _not_ going to let that happen… but he couldn’t say so.

A beep on his phone intercom broke the silence. He pressed the button to accept it. “Yes?”

“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Mokuba, but is Mr. Kaiba with you?” His brother’s secretary was always courteous to a fault; he liked her.

“Yes, he is. Do you need him?” He met his brother’s gaze, which looked mostly normal now… even more so when he rolled his eyes.

“He has a meeting in five minutes with the head of product development, so yes.”

“I’ll be there in just a moment, Itoh,” Seto said, back in full business mode. “Mokuba and I were going over the latest report.”

“Very good, sir, thank you.” She clicked off, and Seto put the pages of the report back in order.

As he turned to go, he said, “I’m going to make sure you’re copied on all reports and notes for this project from now on, and others going forward. It’d be overwhelming to get you on all of them at once, so we’ll start with this… but I’ll have you check over everything I plan on sending out.”

Mokuba let out a breath. “Okay,” he said.

“We can’t afford mistakes,” was all Seto said in reply, and he promptly left, closing the door behind him.

Mokuba practically collapsed into his desk chair, resting his face in his hands. Dealing with his brother was exhausting; his temper had always been short, and it could change quickly… but not like this. His mood swerved from decent to bad to deranged so _fast_ , all within one conversation.

The suspicion of _him_ was new, though, and even though Mokuba knew it was misguided and paranoid, he would have to step even more carefully than he had been. He and Yugi were already communicating under aliases as a precaution, but he figured he should scale back a little on talking to him, just in case.

Putting him on correspondence for this project and officially having him check his brother’s work was extremely beneficial, and was exactly the kind of advancement he needed if he wanted to be regarded as a leader. But he couldn’t get too excited… or complacent.

His brother was right about one thing: He couldn’t afford any mistakes.

Not one.


	8. Chapter 8

Two months.

Two months, and not a word from Kaiba. It was encouraging, and Atem could feel the anxiety within him slowly unwinding day by day.

He had fewer nightmares and panic attacks. His back was healing and he could move almost normally again. He sometimes even felt like he was almost back to his old self again, and it felt wonderful. The fact that people weren’t staring at him as often as they had when his injuries were more visible helped a lot, too.

He knew that he had to keep his guard up, that Kaiba wouldn’t have given up entirely. Yugi was certainly keeping vigilant, and was as protective of him as ever. But it was nice to feel normal again, even if he knew it couldn’t last.

A loud whoop brought him back to reality. He and Yugi were tag-team dueling against Joey and Mai at Burger World with their friends looking on, their discarded burger wrappers lining the tables they’d pushed together. Duke and Bakura were able to join them today, though Tristan couldn’t, and they made a rather rowdy—but congenial—bunch on an otherwise slow Sunday afternoon. It was just them and their mats and cards. Nothing fancy, but it was nice.

“AWWW YEAH. Take that, Yug’!” Joey had just destroyed one of Yugi’s monsters. He and Mai were doing pretty well… but Atem didn’t have to look at his partner to know that he was smirking. He’d left his monster out as bait, and Joey had just stepped into their trap.

Mai took one look at Yugi’s face and groaned. “Oh dammit, we just stepped on a land mine, didn’t we…?” She looked both frustrated and excited; the game itself was a thrill all on its own.

Joey’s triumphant expression melted into shock so fast that both Atem and Yugi burst out laughing.

“Yep,” Yugi said cheerfully, flipping over his trap card.

“And mine,” Atem grinned, flipping over his own; the life points Yugi had just lost were added back, AND the monster Joey had so proudly tribute-summoned was wiped out, costing him 1000 LP in the process.

“WHAAAAAAT,” Joey wailed, looking comically tragic as he buried his face in his hands.

“Hun, how do you _not_ know Yugi and Atem well enough by now to guess they’d have something up their sleeves?” Mai was both amused and exasperated, he could tell.

Joey peeked up at her through his fingers, pouting slightly. “...I just got excited,” he said plaintively, and they all laughed as he straightened.

“To be fair,” said Bakura, though he was grinning, “You _are_ dueling both champions at once.”

“Oh yeah, which one of you is the King of Games now?” Duke asked.

Atem pointed to Yugi immediately. “He is,” he smiled fondly, pride in his partner swelling. “And has been since I left.” Yugi shot him a sweet smile that made his heart sing.

“Well, what about you? Or are you like… joint monarchs? Not King and _Queen_ …” Duke said lightly, pretending to think hard. “Okay, well, considering how you dressed as pharaoh, maybe one of you is a queen…”

“Pharaoh and consort? Or… concubine, perhaps,” Atem said lightly, and had the _immense_ satisfaction of seeing Yugi turn beet red and choke on his drink.

_“Excuse me?!”_ his partner spluttered as laughter practically shook the table.

“Just throwing out ideas, partner,” Atem said innocently, knowing full well that Yugi understood what he was implying, thoroughly enjoying seeing him so flustered. They hadn’t been intimate in quite some time, after all, for practical reasons.

“Oh, you two are _cute_ ,” Mai chuckled. “But can we get back to the game?”

Joey, who had recovered and was wiping tears of laughter from his face, cleared his throat. “Fine, I end my turn… your move, pharaoh.”

“All right,” Atem grinned. “I draw.” He summoned a second monster, set another trap, and ended his turn rather quickly; he couldn’t go after Mai’s Amazoness just yet… but soon. “Up to you, consort,” he added mildly, and Yugi gave him a mock glower and a light punch on the shoulder.

“I’m gonna get you for that later,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “Go ahead, Mai.”

The game ended two full turns later, with both Yugi and Atem tribute-summoning powerful magicians that destroyed Joey and Mai, despite their valiant efforts. He and Yugi high fived as they groaned in defeat.

“Undefeated Kings of Games,” smiled Bakura. “Nice job, guys; that was awesome.”

“How about we have a go, Bakura?” Duke started pulling out his deck. “I don’t wanna go against those two but I’m itching for a game.”

“What, and you think I’m not as tough to challenge?” Bakura pretended to look hurt as he pulled his own deck out and began to set up.

“Aw, Bakura,” Yugi protested, but Joey interjected.

“Dude, no one’s as good as they are,” he smirked. “Buuut I say Duke’s a coward for not facing them head on.”

“Do you want me to throw my dice at your face again?” Duke raised an eyebrow and Bakura grinned.

“No way! Those things are _lethal_ , Duke!” Joey protested dramatically, feigning terror.

_“Shit_ ,” Yugi cursed suddenly, and all eyes went to him. He was staring at his phone, which he’d kept tucked in his pocket during the game. He looked up, the mirth gone from his face. “Mokuba texted me ten minutes ago,” he said quietly. “Kaiba’s sent a team out this way. _Shit_ , why didn’t I think to check my phone…?” Atem reached for his hand and grasped it, both to reassure him that it was all right, and to gain some comfort of his own; he was suddenly anxious. He should’ve known… he should’ve known things had been too good to last.

Everyone was instantly serious. “Ten minutes ago?” said Mai, just as quietly; she’d stopped halfway through putting her mat away. “But that means they’re probably here waiting.”

“You guys go,” Atem said, fighting to keep his tone calm. He felt Yugi squeeze his hand. “I don’t want any of you to get dragged into th—”

A chorus of protests cut him off immediately.

“HELL no, you’re not facing anyone on your own,” Joey practically glared at him.

“What do you take us for?” Mai rolled her eyes.

“Of course we’re going with you.” Bakura’s eyes were wide but he could look as determined as Yugi when he wanted to.

“Think about it; there’s strength in numbers,” Duke nodded emphatically. “More of us means more for them to deal with.”

“Atem, they’re right; I’m not letting them anywhere near you, but having them with us will help.” Yugi’s large eyes were fierce, and Atem felt his protest falter. If he was honest… their immediate support was a relief.

“Let’s see if we can sneak out the back, out of the employee entrance,” Duke said softly. “We might be able to circumvent whoever he’s got planted that way.”

Yugi shook his head. “If we do that, we let them know we were forewarned, and that might cause problems.”

“Then out front it is,” Joey said grimly. “Let’s go, guys.”

Atem was instantly surrounded as soon as he rose - Yugi on his right, his arm tight around his waist, the others forming a sort of circle. He gripped Yugi’s shoulders, fighting to stay calm.

“Act natural,” Yugi breathed as they reached the door.

Mai was quickest on the uptake. “I don’t see _why_ you haven’t done better, Joey; you’re letting your skills get stagnant!” she said loudly as they exited and began walking back towards the game shop. It was several minutes’ walk, which was no problem to him now, but his heart was pounding and he knew every second would feel like an eternity.

“What?!” sputtered Joey, catching on… but Atem could tell that his reaction was partially genuine. “You didn’t see that trap coming either, Mai!”

“I knew not to attack, though, you noticed. _I_ keep my warrior skills nice and sharp,” she smirked.

Atem looked around, trying to look natural, and making himself smile at Mai and Joey’s banter.

“Maybe you _should_ practice against them a little more, Joey,” said Bakura lightly, “You want to duel professionally, don’t you? Can’t hurt to train with the best!”

He spotted them then, three very large, black-suited men wearing dark sunglasses who didn’t look friendly, leaning against a nondescript black car across the street. Staring at them… at _him_.

Just like last time.

Atem felt himself start to sweat and he looked away, making sure his expression didn’t change. Kaiba’s henchmen were anything but subtle and he could tell they’d recognized his notice.

He felt like he couldn’t get any air into his lungs. They’d come after him, they’d yank him into an alley before anyone saw and drag him away with a bag over his head just like last time; he’d be back in Kaiba’s nightmare with no way out, trapped and tortured…

“Yugi,” he managed to choke out, realizing he was panicking.

“Right here, love.” Yugi’s arm around him was squeezing tightly, too tightly, but Atem needed it. “I see them, too. Breathe, okay? You’ll be fine. You’re with us now.”

He was shaking now, gripping Yugi desperately and trying his best not to outwardly show his panic. The others had noticed, too, and dropped the pretense, closing in around him protectively.

_Breathe_ , he told himself. He inhaled slowly, then exhaled.

It _wasn’t_ like last time. This time, he wasn’t alone and unprepared.

Mai’s arm encircled his shoulders from his left, and he looked up at her. She smiled, surprisingly gently. “Take a breath, hun, you’re gonna be fine. There’s six of us and three of them; we’ve got this.”

“Plus there’s lots of people around today,” Bakura said quietly from behind him. “They can’t make a move without being noticed.”

“So let’s stick to main roads, then,” said Yugi, sounding tense. Nods from the others came and almost as one, they moved down the sidewalk.

“Has this happened before?” Mai said softly. “Aside from the first time.”

“No,” Yugi answered, matching her tone. “Mokuba’s been keeping an eye out, but there hasn’t been anything until now. He did say just a few days ago, though, that Kaiba was as crazy and determined as ever, so…” he trailed off, biting his lip worriedly.

“Maybe he thinks he can get away with it now that most of the chatter has died down,” Duke said grimly. They were walking fairly quickly; Atem couldn’t see who was around them since he was shorter than everyone but Yugi, and it added to his anxiety even as the presence of close friends protecting him provided some relief.

“If he does, then he’s crazier than we think,” Joey muttered; he was leading, his hands clenched.

“Are they following?” Yugi asked the question he’d been thinking.

“No, just watching for now,” said Bakura.

“That’s not to say there isn’t another set waiting elsewhere,” growled Joey.

“Agreed,” said Duke. “So we’ll make sure you’re inside and safe.”

“And don’t leave the shop without each other either, okay guys?” Yugi said, his tone still on edge. “Just to be safe.”

“You got it, pal,” Joey responded.

The rest of the walk was spent in tense silence, with only a soft comment or two here and there punctuating it. Yugi did not ease his grip on Atem’s waist; Atem did not relinquish his own grip around his shoulders. Mai’s arm stayed around him, too. He was fighting panic the entire time, but he also felt incredibly grateful for his friends, risking themselves to make sure he was okay.

They didn’t see anyone else out of the ordinary, and a collective sigh of relief went up when they reached the shop. Yugi made sure to lock the door once they were inside, and they made their way into the living room to decompress.

Joey flopped into the armchair. “Man, that was tense,” he groaned. “But good job, guys. One pharaoh safely delivered home.”

Yugi guided Atem to the couch and sat with him, wrapping his arms around him in a warm embrace that Atem fell into with relief, gripping his partner in a fierce hug of his own.

“Thank you,” he managed through his ragged breathing. “Thank you all, so much.” He stopped before he began to cry; he really didn’t want to become a blubbering mess in front of all of them.

Mai perched on the arm of Joey’s chair, ruffling his hair as she did so and getting a half-hearted protest in response; Bakura and Duke sat on the floor. “No problem,” said Duke. “You okay?”

“I will be, I think,” he answered honestly. He just had to calm down now that he was home and safe; he began the breathing game Yugi had taught him, measuring breaths to counts.

“I hate to say this,” Mai said slowly, “but I think this is just the beginning. Kaiba hasn’t done anything for two months but suddenly tries this now? This can’t be a one-off thing.” Atem felt Yugi nod in agreement.

“I wonder if this was a test,” sighed Bakura. “To see who you’re with and how you’d react. They didn’t follow but they could have. It fits with Mai’s theory if it was, and their next move could be more subtle.” _Oh no, don’t think of a next move… keep breathing_ … one-two-three-four… Atem tried to concentrate only on his breathing but kept listening regardless.

“WELL, that means you ain’t going anywhere by yourself, Atem,” Joey declared. “You too, Yug’.”

“I mean, we go everywhere together these days, anyway,” said Yugi, tracing a soft pattern on Atem’s shoulder with his thumb, a relaxing repetitive gesture that helped soothe him. “But you’re right; we shouldn’t go anywhere without each other.”

“Or without at least one of us,” Duke said, frowning worriedly.

“Well, you’re home early—oh, you all came today,” Grandpa smiled, walking in, but frowned when he saw their worried faces. “Everything all right?”

As they filled him in, Atem found his breathing rhythm and was able to calm down. He sat up, but took Yugi’s hand when he offered it, and looked into Grandpa’s concerned face as he approached them.

“Are you all right?” he asked quietly. “That sounds frightening.”

Atem nodded. “I’m all right now,” he said, letting out a breath. “It _was_ frightening… but having everyone with me helped so much.” Yugi’s hand squeezed his briefly, and he returned it.

“Well, I agree that you both need to be careful,” Grandpa said, “Because I also think this was a first step - a scare tactic, or testing the waters. That Kaiba is smart; trying the same trick twice isn’t something he does unless there’s a purpose.”

“So maybe they weren’t even supposed to try to grab him?” Yugi frowned, thinking. Atem found himself frowning, too; it helped stave off the anxiety a little to think about it as a puzzle to solve.

“...It _was_ a test,” he said slowly, and the others looked at him with varying degrees of confusion. Puzzles, he could handle… and while Kaiba was indeed smart and an excellent strategist... so was he. “It did several things: showed him that I’m emotionally vulnerable, for one thing, if my reactions gave anything away; showed how you all react when posed with a potential threat… and also tested whether we had any warning, though that could have been inadvertent.”

“If we did a good enough job chatting as we left, that last one should be fine,” Yugi said thoughtfully. “Mai, you were brilliant with that. I’ll give Mokuba a heads up though.”

“What can I say, I’m a natural,” Mai smirked and casually flipped her hair into Joey’s face, who sputtered in protest. Some of the tension eased as everyone grinned at them.

“His next move will probably be more subtle,” Grandpa said, folding his arms. “Or he might try confronting you himself. Hard to say with that one, now that he’s gone crazy. You’ve shown him today that you’ll protect your friend without a second thought and stick together when things get rough; I’d say you all should be careful and try not to go too many places alone.”

Nods from everyone acknowledged the wisdom in his words. Atem wasn’t able to hold his detached analytical mentality for long and slipped back into anxiety. He really, _really_ didn’t want his friends to be hurt because of him...

“On that note, why don’t you all stay for dinner?” Grandpa said genially. “The more, the merrier, I think.”

Atem smiled a little as Joey instantly sat bolt upright, looking excited; everyone assented and as Grandpa padded out to start cooking, the tension eased again.

“Why don’t we have our duel, Duke?” Bakura smiled, pulling out his deck. “We didn’t get to before.”

“Yes!”

They gathered around the pair, setting things up on the floor. Yugi and Atem stayed on the couch, and while they watched with enthusiasm, Atem did not release his grip on Yugi’s hand, and Yugi didn’t loosen his hold, either.

Afraid or unafraid, he knew this was indeed just the beginning, and he would have to adapt accordingly. He would not go down without a fight, especially if it meant his friends and his partner were in danger.

He would fight for them no matter what. Emotionally vulnerable or not… he was not broken.

He noted with both trepidation and satisfaction that Kaiba would have realized that, too.


	9. Chapter 9

The next few weeks were not good for Atem’s nerves.

Every so often, Kaiba would send a team of goons to either follow or confront him and Yugi when they were out together. They were much better prepared every time, though; Yugi always had his phone handy and even made sure to bring a mobile charger with him in case his battery ran low, so they were forewarned every time. An innocent-looking text would come from Mokuba, under an alias, and they knew to casually wrap up whatever they were doing and leave. The younger Kaiba and Yugi had worked out their own code so that they even knew the direction from which the team would be heading and could plan their route accordingly. Atem was legitimately impressed; his partner and Mokuba were incredibly smart and it showed.

There was no discernable pattern to the attempts, though, which made going anywhere nerve-racking. Mokuba had told Yugi that Kaiba’s extensive camera network could pick them out in pretty much any public place, but even he had no ideas as to a potential pattern or predictability.

Neither Atem nor Yugi had any intention of hiding, though. So they played the strange, slow cat-and-mouse game, no matter who was with them.

It was hard to concentrate on anything going on when he was constantly trying not to look over his shoulder; it was hard to have fun with their friends when they were anxiously wondering if a text would come at any instant.

His nightmares had started coming back, too.

Nevertheless, it was satisfying to stay ahead of Kaiba “by accident”, and the would-be assailants never tried to follow them to wherever they went next, which told them that Kaiba was not actively monitoring the chase. Or that he merely wanted to intimidate them rather than re-capture Atem for the time being. It was hard to guess.

Both Atem and Yugi knew, though, that as satisfying as it was to know that Kaiba would be constantly frustrated, it wouldn’t be long before he came after them himself.

Thus, it was not too surprising when, about a month into this whole ordeal, they _both_ got a text from Mokuba saying: _My family is coming, all the way from America! Want to join us for dinner?_

That meant, as Yugi quietly explained, that Kaiba was coming towards them from the east. Atem swallowed hard. Dread snaked through him, pooling in an icy knot in his stomach.

He watched as Yugi texted back: _Thanks, we’d love to. Let us know._ It looked totally normal, and anyone who managed to see the exchange would think nothing of it.

They’d been ambling around the park together, on a cloudy weekday afternoon. Only a few parents with very young children were out besides them; neither work nor school hours were over yet. He didn’t really need to build up his stamina anymore, but they’d become so accustomed to taking walks together - and enjoyed them so much, for that matter - that they’d kept up the habit.

“Where would you like to go?” Yugi asked quietly, sliding his phone back into his pocket. They didn’t break their stride, and Atem tried to think of plausible options. His hand found Yugi’s and they walked in silence for a moment.

“Card shops?” he murmured. It might help to have some new duelling cards to look at and strategize with.

“Obvious, and a little too small, I think,” Yugi mused. Atem nodded, realizing he was right. The desire to grab Yugi and _run_ was rising in him and he pushed it back with difficulty. “How about the museum?” Yugi continued. “Nice and large, security everywhere, to the south, lots of exits… we can see how much they get wrong about your ancient ancestors…”

Atem snorted in spite of himself. “Sure,” he said, making himself smile. “Shame Ishizu won’t be there, though.”

“True, but they may have another new exhibit,” Yugi’s returning smile was a little tense; he knew his partner was worried, too.

They altered their course, heading towards the park’s south exit, keeping their pace leisurely. Atem could tell Yugi was as on-edge and ready to run as he was, but it was important that this look like ordinary behavior. The idea of facing Kaiba, though, even after a good couple of months… he felt himself start to tremble, his pulse racing.

Yugi leaned in towards his ear as they exited to the street. “He’s never touching you again. I promise.” The fierce conviction in his soft tone made Atem smile a little, affection for his wonderful partner pushing through the anxiety churning in his stomach. He gave Yugi a small, quick kiss on the cheek in response. He couldn’t trust his words right at that moment.

They made it to the museum without incident, and without catching sight of Kaiba. They’d intended to stay for less than half an hour, but a text from Mokuba ( _Why don’t you stay with us?)_ warned them not to go, so they meandered through each exhibit. Ishizu’s special exhibit was gone, of course, but the normal ancient Egypt area was a source of both fascination and mirth when Atem would catch something inaccurate and grumble about it under his breath. He knew it wasn’t their fault that languages were lost to the ages, and thus the translations and hypotheses could be off, but it made Yugi laugh… and he loved making Yugi laugh. Eventually, his tension eased and he was able to enjoy himself.

...It _was_ rather irritating to be unable to correct them, though. Just a little.

Mokuba’s “all-clear” text ( _Never mind, looks like we won’t have room :(_ ) came about two hours into their visit, and they left not long after. Their walk back was fairly quiet; Atem felt relief spreading through him, untangling the knots anxiety had created. But still a worry plagued his mind, and he finally voiced it aloud when they were within sight of the game shop.

“Partner,” he said quietly, and Yugi leaned in a little. “...this can’t work forever.”

Yugi sighed, and his expression was sad but unsurprised as he let them both in. “No, it can’t,” he agreed resignedly. “But I don’t have any better ideas yet. Do you?”

“No,” he admitted. “It was just an observation.”

Yugi cupped Atem’s face in his hands, and Atem smiled a little before Yugi kissed him softly. When he pulled away, he kept his hands in place, and Atem leaned into his touch automatically.

“We’ll figure it out, my other self. I know we will.”

Atem wasn’t so sure himself… but he trusted Yugi.

They would figure something out. They had to.

* * *

“THEY DISAPPEARED.”

Mokuba jumped, almost falling out of his office chair as Seto stormed in, throwing the door open with such force that it bounced off the wall with an audible _THUD_.

“Seto, what the _hell_ …” he protested, glaring at his older brother - though he noted that Seto looked… well… off-kilter. It didn’t bode well. “Who disappeared? Why are you so angry that you had to nearly break down my door?” He knew perfectly well, of course, but his act had to be perfect.

“THAT FUCKING PHARAOH AND HIS STUPID OTHER HALF,” Seto thundered. “I was SO CLOSE, but they fucking—”

“WHAT?!” Mokuba nearly shrieked, showing shock. “You _went after them_ , Seto?! We’ve been through this!”

“ _Yes_ , I went after them, of course I fucking did,” Seto snarled, his face full of crazed rage. “I kept _failing_ with other teams; of course I had to go myself.”

This was the first time Seto had mentioned sending other people, and Mokuba jumped on it. “Other _what_?! Seto, what are you _doing?!_ ”

“TRYING TO FINISH WHAT I FUCKING STARTED,” Seto glared, “YOU should know that, Mokuba, you should be smart enough to figure it out.”

“So you’ve been _stalking them?!_ ” Mokuba let his anger show; it was genuine. His brother’s attempts to recapture the pharaoh had caused him a lot of headaches, and he hated that Seto was, if anything, doubling down on “finishing” things. “Seto, you CAN’T–”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT I CAN OR CANNOT DO.” Seto’s eyes were wild, intense, and Mokuba had a hard time keeping eye contact. “He should be back here, he should be _mine_ , so I can _finish it_ and him so he’s my prisoner, so yes, I had teams try to reach him but he and his stupid little partner were always GONE by the time they got there, and they were GONE THIS TIME TOO.”

Mokuba did not like where this was going and tried to head him off. “Seto, first of all, no one stays in one place forever; second of all, you should be _leaving him alone_ —”

“No, NO. EVERY TIME, every time they end up leaving minutes or seconds before they arrive; this time they left seconds ahead of me but I watched them, I tracked them to the museum… but they stayed in there so fucking long, and EVERY SINGLE TIME they elude me! IT’S LIKE THEY KNOW.” The last word almost seemed to echo in the room.

Seto’s expression suddenly went from rage to incredibly crazed suspicion. “You,” he spat, and Mokuba did his best to look confused; he knew what was coming and did not like that it was true.

“Show me your phone.”

Mokuba blinked, staring. “...What? Why?”

“JUST LET ME SEE IT.”

“...Okay, fine, but WHY?” Mokuba reached for his phone, abandoned on his desk, privately thanking himself for having the foresight to use a cheap, untraceable, disposable phone for contacting Yugi, coded though their communication was.

“You’re helping them. I know it. You MUST be.”

Mokuba made sure he looked offended when he handed his phone to his brother. “Oh my god, you _can’t_ be serious,” he glowered, punching in his passcode. “Fine, Seto, look at my phone, my messages, my voicemails, whatever; I haven’t talked to Atem OR Yugi in A REALLY LONG TIME, and I DEFINITELY have no idea what you could possibly mean by ‘helping’.” He rolled his eyes.

Seto looked almost taken aback by his sudden acquiescence, but he didn’t want to draw this out more than he had to. For a few minutes, they were silent. Seto furiously swiped through his phone, checking things. Mokuba glared across his desk, anger, hurt, and nervousness churning inside him. His burner phone was hidden in an inner pocket of his jacket; he kept it on him at all times so no one else would see it. Seto would find nothing, but Mokuba disliked that his mind went to him so fast, crazy or not. They should _trust_ each other; Seto’s insane obsession had destroyed all that, and he hated it.

Finally, with a curse, Seto finally tossed the phone back onto the desk and slid it towards Mokuba, who took it, glaring at his brother still.

“Satisfied, big brother?” he snapped, and Seto had the grace to look a little sheepish, though his frown stayed.

“ _Someone_ must be helping them,” he growled. “They can’t keep avoiding me like this without assistance. Fine, you’re clear, but then I want you to help—”

“No,” Mokuba interrupted firmly. This, he had absolute certain grounds to stand on, no matter what his true intent was. “No, Seto, I’m NOT helping you do this.”

The fury was back. “What the HELL do you mean, you’re not helping me?”

Mokuba stood, leaning his fists on his desk so his face was mere inches from his brother’s. “You know _perfectly well_ that I don’t want to hurt them, Seto,” he said, truly angry. “I can’t stop you, or tell you what to do, but I CAN refuse to help you. I _will not_ support your insane obsession, I _will not_ hurt people I consider friends. YOU have hurt them enough already.”

“I HAVEN’T HURT THEM ENOUGH,” Seto thundered, his face twisting into a terrifying mix of hatred and fury. “How DARE you. NO ONE talks to me like that, NO ONE CALLS ME INSANE.”

“I do!” Mokuba yelled right back, tears pricking his eyes despite his best efforts to control himself. “You can’t see it, you can’t see how this is tearing you and us and EVERYTHING apart, so YES I’m calling you insane and obsessed! You need to STOP all this, Seto! Stop it and get Atem back in his own dimension and _let it all go_.”

“I WILL FINISH WHAT I STARTED,” his brother snarled. “And YOU should help; you’re my _brother_.”

“Well you’re NOT acting like the brother I know,” Mokuba practically wailed, honesty in every word. “My brother knew when he’d gone too far! My brother wouldn’t risk his reputation, and the company’s, and mine for a stupid _vendetta_! My brother didn’t keep making mistakes on important work because he was too obsessed with defeating someone who shouldn’t even BE here anymore!” He choked up enough so that he had to stop talking; he hated crying but he couldn’t help it, not this time. All the tension, the nervousness, the fear of being caught, the fear that he’d miss something and Yugi and Atem would die because of it, the guilt that came from working against his brother… it all came to a head in his mind and threatened to spill entirely out.

He closed his eyes, trying not to let the tears fall, knowing that Seto would see it as weakness.

Surprisingly, though, Seto was silent for a solid ten seconds.

“I’m… sorry,” he finally said, sounding very awkward as he did so. “I don’t mean to… well, I didn’t want you to feel pressured like this.” Mokuba felt a nudge at his hand and opened his eyes to see his brother offering a tissue. He took it and blew his nose. “You’ve been working hard. I shouldn’t pile something else on.”

Mokuba stopped in the middle of wiping his eyes, realizing what his brother was - and _wasn’t_ \- saying. The moment he did so, Seto turned to go.

“I won’t ask for your help. I understand,” he said, sounding almost like his old self. “But I _will_ finish what I started.” And he left, closing the door firmly behind him.

 _Goddammit_ , Mokuba thought, and collapsed back into his chair. He let the tears come now that he was alone; he grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on his desk and just _cried_.

He felt helpless. No matter what he did, Seto wouldn’t back down or see reason. He couldn’t trust him; he kept having to lie to him. And despite all his efforts, Yugi and Atem were _still_ in danger, and he might not be able to help them properly next time. He was alone, he missed his brother, and it was getting to be too much.

He knew turning to Yugi was dangerous. But he so desperately needed a friend who would understand.

He began to reach into his jacket, but stopped. He thought for a second, then grabbed his regular phone instead. This wasn’t anonymous help; this was Mokuba needing his friend Yugi. Let Seto stew over it if he wanted. He knew it was a bad idea to provoke his brother… but he felt angry and desperate.

He dialed, and Yugi picked up after the first ring. “Hey Mokuba,” he said, his tone guarded. No doubt he was wondering why he was openly calling. But hearing his voice alone put Mokuba a little more at ease.

“Yugi… I’m sorry, but… could we meet somewhere today? I really need to talk to someone and you’re… you’re the only person who could understand.”

Yugi didn’t answer for a good couple of seconds and Mokuba held his breath. “Okay, sure,” he said, “Would it work if you came to the shop?”

He didn’t want to risk Seto following him there… but he couldn’t think of a better place himself. Anyplace public would be too risky.

“Okay. In… an hour? Or two? If it works for you.” He felt awkward, and knew he sounded like a child.

“An hour works just fine.” Yugi sounded sympathetic in his reply, as if he could tell how upset he was. “We’ll see you then.”

“Thanks, Yugi.”

He couldn’t do this alone. But Yugi would help.

He just hoped it wouldn’t make things worse.


	10. Chapter 10

“...I just don’t know what else to do,” Mokuba sniffled, using his now considerable wad of tissues to dab at his face. He’d been talking to Yugi and Atem for a long time now, spilling out everything that was going on, everything he knew. Yugi was next to him on the couch, his arm around him, letting him get it all out; Atem sat in the nearby armchair, his face concerned.

“You’ve done so much for us already, Mokuba,” Yugi said quietly. “I didn’t realize you were taking more on at the company, too; that’s a lot to handle.”

“I _had_ to help,” he protested, feeling drained but still upset. He looked Atem in the eye. “I couldn’t just let Seto torture you _again_. You’ve done so much for _me_ and stayed friends with me despite everything; I couldn’t just sit back…”

Atem’s eyes had a haunted look that Mokuba hadn’t seen before, but he smiled sadly. “Yes, you could have,” he said, his deep voice less commanding than usual. “And we would have understood. The fact that you didn’t, though, shows that you are already a better man than he is.”

A compliment like that from the pharaoh was high praise, and Mokuba felt himself blush both in pride and shame. “I hate working against him like this,” he groaned, breaking his eye contact and staring at his knees. “It’s the right thing for so many people, especially you guys… but I can’t trust him anymore, and he doesn’t trust me… it’s like I’m losing him all over again...”

“He’s your brother, and you’ve gone through a lot together,” Yugi said sympathetically, giving his shoulders a slight squeeze. “Nothing about this is easy.”

“Do you at least have other people around you at KaibaCorp that you can trust?” Atem asked, frowning a little in thought. “You’re under a lot of pressure just from all that, and if you can’t trust… Kaiba any more, see if you can find someone else. Being alone will make things harder.” He’d hesitated a little on his brother’s name, Mokuba noted. He made a mental note to ask why later.

“Yeah, I do,” he said, sighing. “Quite a few people now trust me more than him, and _like_ me more than him, even though I’m not as smart as he is.” Like a lot of things in his life right now, that fact made him both proud and sad.

“You are _just_ as smart as he is,” Yugi countered, sounding fierce. “You’re five years younger than him, Mokuba, and you’re taking on work and strategizing at an AMAZING level even by _his_ standards.” Mokuba looked at him, a tremulous smile tugging at his mouth; he looked up to both Yugi and Atem and hearing their confidence in him was equal parts stunning and gratifying.

“You also learn from mistakes better and have compassion,” Atem added, just as earnestly as his partner. “It’s no wonder you’re drawing people to you. But be cautious.”

Mokuba nodded, then looked down. “He said… in one of his saner moments, he said I was doing so well, that I could be running things alongside him in a couple of years,” he said, choking up again despite his effort not to. “And I would _love_ that… but…” he closed his eyes, trying not to cry again.

“...Oh, Mokuba,” Yugi sighed sadly, understanding in his tone, and pulled him into a hug. Mokuba hugged him back, pushing back his tears but gratefully returning the embrace. He _knew_ Yugi would understand, but was relieved just the same.

“For what it’s worth,” Atem said, after a pause, “I think you’d make an excellent CEO, on your own or—or otherwise.”

Mokuba felt himself flush again and sat up, looking over at Atem again. He realized, suddenly, what was causing his hesitations; even over three months later… the pharaoh was _afraid._

“He really scared you, didn’t he?” he said quietly, and Atem’s expression briefly turned almost panicked - panicked? _Him_? - before settling into sad resignation. He closed his eyes, avoiding Mokuba’s gaze.

“...Yes,” he said softly, his eyes still shut. He said nothing else, but took a long, steady breath.

“He’s scary in general these days,” Mokuba sighed, but internally he was shocked at how badly his brother had scarred his rival. Atem was always so _strong_...

At his words, both Yugi and Atem sat up straighter and stared at him sharply. Yugi actually pulled away a little and seemed to scrutinize him. Mokuba stared back, a little confused.

“...He hasn’t hurt you, has he?” Atem said, his face aghast. Yugi’s expression was just as worried.

“Ohhh,” Mokuba let out his breath, comprehension dawning. “No, I’m fine; he never physically hurts me.” They both visibly relaxed a little. “We’ve had shouting matches, though, and arguing with him was hard enough when he was normal; now, it’s… really awful. When you say something he doesn’t want to hear… he gets this _look_ , like he’ll rip you apart with his bare hands, and for a moment you think he will and it’s terrifying…” he trailed off, unsure how to put it exactly into words.

“...I know.” Atem’s eyes, surprisingly, were teary.

He _did_ know, Mokuba realized; he’d had all that hatred and cruelty directed right at him with no restraint for hours and hours… no wonder he had problems with fear and panic. He’d seen people reduced to stuttering and practically wetting themselves in his brother’s presence within five _minutes_ … and that’s when he’d been entirely sane.

He got up and crossed to the pharaoh, who looked up at him a little warily. He didn’t know how to express what he felt - how sorry he was that he hadn’t truly understood until now, sorry that he was still dealing with the effects, after everything he’d done and sacrificed for others… so he just wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

Atem stiffened for a split second, but then hugged back tightly, his grip strong but gentle at the same time. Mokuba nearly lost his composure again when he realized that he could feel slender raised lines under each hand through Atem’s shirt on his back: permanent evidence of the awful, awful abuse he’d endured.

He felt certainty slide into place within him. He hated working against his brother… but he _had_ to. He couldn’t let this happen to Atem again. He couldn’t let it happen to Yugi, either.

He pulled away and the pharaoh let him go. Even wiping his eyes a little, even with scars on his arms, pale against his tan Egyptian skin, he was regal. Mokuba admired him still… never more so than after today.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to warn you guys properly next time; I don’t know what Seto’s going to do,” he said, turning so he could see Yugi. “But I _will_ do my best, I promise.”

“If it gets too dangerous for you, you should stop,” Yugi said immediately, looking both concerned and grateful. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Agreed,” Atem said, under control once again. He stood, and Mokuba blinked, not quite used to the fact that he was _taller_ than the pharaoh now. He merely walked to the table in front of the couch to grab a tissue, though Yugi took his hand as he did so. He watched as they shared a solemn, intense look before Atem looked away to blow his nose, and smiled slightly; he liked how affectionate they were with each other. Them getting to be together was one nice thing in all this, he supposed.

“I want to help you both as best I can,” he said, using his firm business tone. They looked at him, twin expressions of concern on their faces. “You’re my friends. _You_ always go out of your way to protect the ones you care about; you’ve sacrificed your health and happiness again and again, and now it’s my turn to help. And I will,” he added, trying to look as stubborn as he could.

They looked at each other again for a moment, and then Yugi stood, sighing, but with a smile. “You’re a Kaiba to your core, Mokuba,” he said, and Mokuba could swear there was pride in his tone. “Determination and intelligence all in one, and _incredibly_ difficult to argue with.” He walked over to him and put his hands on his shoulders… and he, too, was shorter than Mokuba. “Just promise me that you’ll look out for yourself, okay?” His gaze was earnest and concerned. “If something happens and you have to stop looking out for us, we’ll understand.”

“If you don’t feel safe and you need to get out,” Atem added, his usual stoic self now, “come right to us, whatever time it is. I realize we can’t offer you the kind of protection you’d get elsewhere, but we’d figure something out.”

Yugi nodded in agreement. Mokuba smiled a little, gratitude flooding through him. “Okay,” he said, “I promise.” Yugi gave him a strong hug, and he returned it briefly before pulling away. “...I should be getting home,” he said, feeling himself slide back into business mode. “I have some work to catch up on. But… thanks, guys. I really, really needed this.” It was true; he felt so much less tense now that he’d shared everything with them. Lately he’d felt like a spring wound up so tight that it would only take one more twist to make him burst.

He checked that all was clear; Seto was still in the office, which was both worrying (it was after 7; why was he working so late?) and relieving. Yugi and Atem walked him out to the car waiting for him, thanking him again for all his help and reiterating that he should take care.

He sat lost in thought on his ride back. This visit was everything he’d needed: a way to get things off his chest, some time spent with friends… and a reminder of why he was doing all of this. Atem and Yugi had fought to save him more than once; they’d saved the _world_ more than once, and they were as kind and loyal friends as anyone could ask for.

And Atem… the look in his eyes, the hesitation on his brother’s name as though it had triggered a flashback, the scars beneath his shirt and on his arms… if nothing else, Mokuba resolved that there was _no way_ he’d let him be hurt like that again. No one deserved what he’d gone through; _any_ person would still be traumatized. _He_ deserved to be at rest in the dimension of the afterlife, whole and unscathed.

He caught a glimpse of the KaibaCorp tower on their way home, and sighed, regarding it both fondly and anxiously.

He was proud of it, the company his brother had rebuilt from their stepfather’s ashes. He was proud of it and loved it, and wanted to make sure it stayed the best in the world. Yugi and Atem’s confidence in him was equal parts a balm on his self-doubt and a spark to get him fired up again.

They believed in him. He believed in himself. This would only get harder… but he would save them, his company… and, hopefully, his brother.


	11. Chapter 11

“Yugi…”

“Hm?” Yugi was curled up next to Atem on the couch, his head nestled comfortably in Atem’s shoulder, his arms around his partner. Atem’s strong arms held him close. There was no better place to be, in his opinion, and he was sleepy and content, the movie they’d been watching a mere buzz in the back of his mind.

“I was thinking…” Atem’s deep baritone rumbled softly through his entire frame and he let out a satisfied sigh. Atem’s breath hitched for a moment, and his next words sounded rather amused. “...Are you even awake, partner?”

Really. Of all the questions… “Mm-hm,” he murmured. “Jus’ comfy.” He snuggled a little closer for good measure. He wouldn’t mind falling asleep like this, of course, but his partner apparently had other ideas. Ideas he thoroughly disagreed with at the moment.

Atem chuckled. “It’s a little early to be falling asleep on me, you know,” he teased, his tone fond. Yugi couldn’t help smiling a little, though he had no intention of moving.

“I’n care,” he mumbled.

“You will when I get up,” Atem warned lightly. One hand shifted and a finger poked him gently beneath his ribs.

His partner was the most unfair person in _any dimension ever_ sometimes.

“Nooooooo,” he whined, as Atem prodded him again, laughing quietly when Yugi jumped a little.

Thoroughly disgruntled now, and most definitely NOT amused _in the least,_ Yugi sat up, disentangling himself from his warm resting spot, and glowered at his far too cheerful other half, who merely grinned mischievously back at him. His good humor and wonderful smile most definitely did not make Yugi want to melt and he glowered further to prove it.

“You’re pouting at me, partner,” Atem smirked.

“I am _not_.” Yugi resisted the urge to stick his tongue out. “ _You_ are mean. I was _comfy_ ,” he added for good measure, crossing his arms.

“Awww. Sorry,” Atem said, pretending to be contrite. He leaned in and kissed the tip of Yugi’s nose, which was utterly outrageous, and only for that reason did Yugi feel his face grow warm. _Only_ for that reason. He did, however, feel his expression soften in spite of himself. Atem smiled. “Better?”

“No,” he said stubbornly, but felt a grin pull at the corners of his mouth. He genuinely loved that Atem was becoming more comfortable with kidding around again, even after an emotional afternoon talking to Mokuba. It was a strong sign that he was healing inside.

Thus, he didn’t resist when his partner leaned in again and kissed him, properly this time. He kissed back, thoroughly aware that he was letting his other self win but not particularly upset about it.

“How about now?” Atem asked when he pulled away.

Yugi couldn’t help smiling. “...Maybe,” he admitted, which made his partner laugh. He loved making him laugh, especially these days.

“Well, maybe _this_ will help,” Atem smiled, twining his fingers with Yugi’s. “I was thinking that maybe… maybe, we could… try something later.” It was one of their many euphemisms they employed when they couldn’t be sure they wouldn’t be overheard.

Yugi sat up straight, staring. Elation mixed with his surprise, and also a little trepidation. He and Atem had tried being intimate together a few times now that his injuries were healed, with mixed results. Sometimes, a position or game they used to enjoy would trigger a flashback or panic attack and they’d have to stop. It was like they were just learning each other all over again, back when they relied on the Puzzle’s connection, and it was confusing to both of them, because Atem could not predict what would or wouldn’t set him off. But they were trying, and making some progress. Yugi made sure to stop the instant his partner wanted to; Atem made sure to say immediately if something was wrong, rather than try to hide it for Yugi’s sake - which he’d actually tried once, and Yugi had been extremely upset when he’d realized what was happening.

Atem initiating the idea today was an excellent sign, and Yugi felt excitement bubble up in him. “Ohhhh, yes that IS better,” he grinned eagerly. “Got anything in mind?”

“Not particularly,” his partner admitted, then his smile became a little uncertain. “Well, nothing too specific. I thought...maybe experimenting… just with hands?”

Yugi’s heart nearly exploded any time Atem became shy about getting intimate. Before Kaiba’s torture, he’d been unwilling to show much beyond calm certainty in public, and only to their friends and to Yugi did he let his nerves or uncertainty show. He allowed only Yugi to see all of his fears and desires, even now, and it made Yugi love him all the more.

He also thought Atem was _ridiculously_ cute when he became shy like this, a slight blush reddening his tan cheeks.

Yugi practically fell onto his other half in his attempt to wrap him in his arms as quickly as possible, which made Atem laugh quietly. He silenced that highly unnecessary reaction with a kiss, which his partner responded to slowly… and then Yugi felt him relax and his returning kiss became more demanding. Which was _entirely_ okay with him.

They carried on for a minute or two, until Yugi pulled away just a little, feeling slightly winded. In the best way. Atem pouted at him slightly, looking deliciously flustered. Yugi smiled, tracing his partner’s jawline. “How about I pleasure you then? Just hands,” he added, “like you asked.”

“You sure?” Atem asked, as out of breath as Yugi was. It was a fair question; the last time they’d tried that, Yugi had used their normal cuffs on him, usually a mere fun addition to the game, and Atem had panicked when he felt the restraints. Yugi had removed them immediately and held him until he stopped shaking; he still felt slightly guilty for not thinking that cuffs would be a bad idea, but they’d both been caught up in the heat of the moment.

Yugi kissed him softly once more. “No cuffs,” he said quietly, “we learned that last time. But I miss pleasuring you, my other self… and I _can_ do that with just hands, no problem,” he added impishly, smirking when Atem’s cheeks reddened further.

“...I’m a little nervous,” his other half admitted. “But I want you, partner. Please.” He closed his eyes, and leaned forward so their foreheads touched. One hand rose up and cupped Yugi’s face; he leaned into it, caressing his other half’s face in turn. They both liked this, just touching and holding each other, a reminder that they _could_ , that they were two wonderfully separate beings.

“Remember, you are _always_ in control,” Yugi breathed, twining their free hands together. “Whatever we try, whether you’re on top or not, you are _always_ in control. You say stop, we stop. You say go, we go. Something doesn’t feel right, you say so. Okay?” He knew Atem knew all this… but he also knew he needed the reminder, the reassurance.

Atem smiled, squeezing Yugi’s hand slightly. “Okay.”

Yugi pulled away, but kept their hands clasped. He grinned, excitement dancing within him. He loved teasing his other self, loved making him cry his name as he released, and coming up with creative - yet safe - ideas just aroused him more. Atem opened his eyes, and his uncertain smile melted into an excited grin of his own, and Yugi saw fire in his eyes. He loved that, too.

“So, other self… shall we go upstairs?”

Atem’s grin changed to one of coy flirtatiousness. “Why, partner, I thought you’d never ask.”

It took them far too long to get to their bedroom, in Yugi’s opinion, though in reality he knew he was just being impatient. Once safely inside and sequestered behind a firmly locked door, they made short work of each other’s clothing… or rather, Yugi made short work of Atem’s; Atem, on the other hand, took his time and practically made Yugi _whine_ in impatience with each far-too-deliberate movement.

His partner - his very _evil_ partner - just chuckled from behind him when Yugi finally let out a groan in protest. “You never said I couldn’t tease you too, partner, and you’re fun to tease.”

“You’re gonna pay for that,” Yugi groaned; his pants had become _extremely_ uncomfortable and Atem _hadn’t removed them yet_. “I’m gonna make you wait _hours_.”

Atem’s hands slid slowly down to his pants. “Well, _that’s_ not very nice,” he breathed into Yugi’s ear.

“You’re the one who woke me up in the first place,” Yugi managed to wheeze, reaching behind him and stroking his partner’s hip. He _really_ wanted to just grab it, but two could play at this game… and this was _his_ job, after all.

Atem sucked in a breath at his touch, and for one tense moment, Yugi thought he’d had a flashback… but then his hands started moving a little faster and Yugi smirked. Atem’s hip was a weak spot and he knew it. “Okay—okay, fair point, I’ll be nice,” he gasped, and _finally_ Yugi’s pants were on the floor where they _belonged_.

He spun, finally, to face his partner and kiss him fiercely, desire pounding through him, before pushing him gently onto their bed. “Good,” he smirked. “My turn.” And he began his game.

It was their best time yet. Yugi’s touches and tweaks had his partner gasping and moaning under him… and then cursing him when he figured out that Yugi was taking his “just hands” request literally and _not kissing him anymore_. It was extremely frustrating for Yugi to hold that back, but incredibly amusing _and_ arousing to see that frustration multiplied in his partner.

It made it all the more pleasing, though, when Atem came, burying his face into Yugi’s shoulder to muffle his loud, guttural groan, and Yugi finally captured his lips and felt his partner respond greedily, like he never wanted to stop.

And then Atem’s hands were on _him_ and teasing _him_ all over, and instead of his release happening softly and slowly, his head was thrown back in a soundless, breathless scream and he felt wonderfully spent.

They held each other, shaking, and Yugi knew that the silly, happy smile on Atem’s face mirrored his own.

“No flashbacks,” he murmured, and Atem’s smile grew.

“None,” he confirmed, sighing happily. “No anxiety, either. Not once we started.”

Yugi felt tears prick his eyes just a little. Atem was healing… truly, truly healing; he’d come so far and it thrilled him to see his partner so content. “I love you, my other self.”

“I love you too, partner. So, _so_ much.” Atem drew him close, and he laid his head on his shoulder - his favorite place to rest.

* * *

Mokuba woke to the sound of muffled screaming.

For one groggy, half-awake moment, he thought he was still dreaming; he’d been dodging strange projectiles in an upside-down virtual world and screaming seemed to fit the sheer weirdness of it all.

Then he realized it was _his brother’s voice_. And suddenly he was wide awake, heart pounding, because it _wasn’t_ part of the dream. Nor was it a continuous howl; he could make out that it was words, but not what those words were.

He’d fallen asleep reading in bed, waiting for Seto to come home; he’d been drained after his long, emotional talk with Yugi and Atem. He glanced at his phone, dimly glowing in the darkness, displaying the time: 1:15 AM. _How long has he been yelling like this?_ If he’d only just woken up because of it _now…_? He jumped out of bed, stumbled to his door, and opened it, peering into the hallway.

For a moment, he realized, it had gotten quiet. He figured his brother was in his bedroom, but it didn’t hurt to be sure… so he waited.

Sure enough, the muffled shout started again not ten seconds later, and Mokuba ran down the hall, his heart in his throat, terrified of what his brother could be doing and simultaneously anxious to know that he was all right.

The words became clearer as he approached Seto’s bedroom.

“WHY CAN’T YOU JUST GIVE UP?!” Something thudded hard into something else. “NO DAMMIT, DON’T YOU DARE GO, I NEED TO FINISH YOU, FUCKING FINISH YOU LIKE I SHOULD HAVE BACK THERE, OR BACK THERE OR YEARS AGO YOU SHOULD BE MY BROKEN FUCKING DOLL WHY AREN’T YOU–”

Mokuba had heard enough. Heart pounding, he barged into his brother’s room... and immediately stopped dead, mouth agape in shock.

The room was a disaster. His bedsheets had been thrown asunder, pillows from the bed scattered all over the place. Papers that usually sat on the small desk near the window were ripped to shreds, covering the floor; the carpet was becoming stained and wet from a broken glass spilling water not far from the door. The lamp by his bed was thankfully intact and lit, but its shade was askew as though something had knocked it off-kilter. Several objects, including his deck pouch and phone, lay on the floor in front of the wall immediately to Mokuba’s left.

Seto himself was snarling at… nothing. He’d been glaring at the wall, but his gaze had snapped immediately to Mokuba when he’d burst in, his shout ceasing. His face was twisted in an ugly, horrible rage, his eyes overbright and wide, which made him look demonic in the dim light. His hair was a mess, sticking out in all directions, and he’d actually torn a hole in the sleeve of his standard black turtleneck, right on the elbow. He looked…  

He looked utterly _psychotic_.

For one terrifying moment, his expression didn’t change and Mokuba feared that he hadn’t recognized him, that he’d fallen off a mental precipice he couldn’t be saved from.

Then, he blinked… and recognition smoothed the rage over enough so that he looked less like a demonic monster and more like his own self. He still glared, though. “...What do you want?” he growled.

Mokuba closed his mouth, but it took effort. Mentally shaking himself into general functionality, he swallowed hard. “You… you were screaming,” he said, disliking how much his voice shook. “I woke up and heard you; I thought you were hurt… what are you _doing_?”

“Talking to _him_. Obviously.” Seto’s tone was angry and clipped, and he folded his arms, still glowering.

“...To _whom?_ ” Mokuba couldn’t help asking. He knew, but… Seto was acting like Atem was _right there_ when he very clearly was not.

“WHO DO YOU THINK?!” Seto snarled, and flung out an arm to point to the blank wall to his right. “HIM. The ONE PERSON who will NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE.”

Mokuba fought back tears; if his brother was this far gone already… could he be helped? “Seto… there’s nothing there. Atem isn’t there.” He gestured to the wall himself.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, OF COURSE HE’S–” Seto’s crazed howl cut off abruptly as he whirled to glare at the wall and then stopped… and stared, rage and hatred melting into confusion and shock. “What the—where’d…” his voice trailed off.

“...He was never there, Seto,” Mokuba said, trying to sound gentle and reassuring when all he wanted to do was cry. “Maybe it was a hologram or maybe you’re just tired…?” _Or maybe you’ve gone insane and it’s getting worse_ , he thought but would not say.

Seto looked back at him sharply but said nothing. He then looked around the room, seemingly registering the destruction surrounding him for the first time. When his gaze met Mokuba’s again, it was now… lost. And even a little bit afraid. That look hit Mokuba like a physical blow to the chest.

“I was—I was testing out our new VR programming today, but…” he swallowed and looked around the room again, his gaze lingering on every object out of place.

For a moment, they were both quiet. Then his brother looked at him again, genuine anxiety in his eyes. “...What’s happening to me, Mokuba?” he finally whispered. Mokuba’s heart ached, and he rushed to him, taking care to step over the broken glass, and wrapped him in a tight hug. Slowly, as though remembering how to do so, his brother returned the embrace, clinging to him so hard it almost hurt.

“I love you no matter what, big brother,” Mokuba choked out, blinking back tears. It was all he could manage. Seto did not respond, and they just held each other for what felt like a long time.

Eventually, Seto pulled away, prompting Mokuba to relinquish his grip. “...I need to clean this up,” he mumbled, bending to clean up the shreds of paper nearest to him. Mokuba nodded and immediately went to the glass, picking up the pieces as carefully as he could and placing them in the nearest garbage can gently. Together, they got the room back into order. Thankfully, his brother’s phone and deck hadn’t been damaged when he’d thrown them and Seto visibly relaxed when he discovered that fact.

Mokuba was settling the pillows back on the bed when Seto spoke again. “Mokuba… I think you should take on all VR testing from now on,” he said quietly. Mokuba looked at him in surprise. “I don’t know what’s happening… but I can’t be testing a virtual reality that bends itself to a person’s will if I can’t trust my own eyes. Or maybe it’s a side effect of long use…” he frowned, thinking.

“I’ll do it,” Mokuba said quickly. “It’ll be good for me to test it anyway; that way I learn it better.” He finished making up the bed again.

“This is _all his fault_ ,” Seto snapped suddenly, crushing a fistful of paper scraps. Mokuba stared at him, hoping he wasn’t going back to— “He won’t _leave me alone_ , if I could just BREAK HIM, beat him for GOOD this time it’d be fine it’d go away, but I need to BEAT HIM FIRST.” He growled, the deranged anger twisting his features all over again.

“No, Seto, stop,” Mokuba pleaded, hurrying over and grabbing his brother’s shoulders. “Stop, don’t give in to that thinking; that’s what got you into this mess - _literally_.” Seto glared down at him for a moment, but his expression softened. “Please stay with me, Seto…” Mokuba couldn’t help saying.

“I can’t help it,” his brother said flatly. “I can’t help that he won’t go away or stop or anything.”

“...I think you need help, Seto.” He said it in a rush, because he was terrified of saying it to his brother’s face… but he got it out. And Seto understood. His face instantly became closed off and stern.

“I will decide whether I need help or not,” he snapped.

Deciding not to push the issue, Mokuba acquiesced. “Let’s just get you into bed, okay? I’ll get a sleep aid for you.”

“...Fine.”

Mokuba tried not to flee to the master bathroom, but controlling his pace was difficult. He found the medication and grabbed the correct dosage, filling a glass of water as he did so. He caught a look at himself in the mirror as he closed the medicine cabinet: he looked like a frightened child. He schooled his features into a more grown-up type of concern. Now was not the time to be the dependent baby brother.

When he walked back into the bedroom, sleeping pill and water ready, his brother was already in his PJs, staring suspiciously at the bed as though convinced there was a trap hidden within it.

“Here you go, big brother,” he said, pretending not to notice the strange, intense stare.

Seto blinked and looked over at him, his expression guarded. “Thank you.” He took the pill first, and drained the glass in three quick gulps. He got into bed and Mokuba, feeling both protective and incredibly sad, actually helped tuck him in… the way his brother used to do for him after he’d had a nightmare.

“Sleep well now, okay Seto?” he said softly; his brother’s gaze was already becoming hazy.

“Okay. Thanks, Mokuba,” he mumbled.

Mokuba left quietly, not quite closing the door behind him; he wanted to be able to hear if Seto made any strange sounds again. He shook with every step back to his own room, exhaustion hitting him like a brick wall, on top of all the emotion churning inside him. He was so upset, and scared, disturbed, angry, anxious… all at once.

He was losing his big brother… bit by bit, he was _losing_ him to this obsession and insanity, and he had no idea how to stop it.

He was running out of time.

They all were.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I missed yesterday, you guys get a DOUBLE FEATURE today!

“...So what do you think? I think it could be interesting, but there’s definitely a risk.”

Atem frowned slightly, walking hand in hand with Yugi over a bridge, not far from where he’d dueled Marik’s mime and seen Slifer for the first time. Yugi said nothing further, letting him mull things over. The day was a little chillier than usual, with light cloud cover, but it made for good walking weather.

Mokuba had contacted them just a couple of hours ago, proposing that they come in and help him test aspects of the new VR enhancements and game mechanics. With Kaiba mentally unstable to the point that he couldn’t reliably test it, Mokuba had been testing things with the development team himself, but needed people he could trust who were also good gamers to test things further. He’d assured both of them that they’d be well paid, have plenty of security, and that he’d be monitoring everything from the outside, so if they needed help, he’d be able to assist them or protect them.

It _did_ sound intriguing; Atem hadn’t gotten much of a taste of the virtual world technology Kaiba had created since his return.

But being so close to Kaiba, practically defenseless physically if they were both in virtual reality… even with Mokuba watching and security with them, it made him anxious just thinking about it. However, if they _did_ accept his proposal… it’d practically shout to the world that he was not going to hide with his tail between his legs.

...Even though he’d practically done just that when Kaiba had tried to corner them himself just over a week ago.

“It does sound interesting,” he finally said, as they meandered down the man-made bank towards the river. “I can’t deny that I’m nervous about being in close proximity to Kaiba, though.” If Kaiba trapped him there so he couldn’t do anything… if he set a trap for when they were out of the VR system… if Mokuba couldn’t catch what he’d done… if Yugi got hurt… His thoughts swirled in an ever-faster spiral of anxiety. He began his breathing exercise to push it away.

“I know,” Yugi said gently, “I totally understand. Mokuba understands, too; he said he’d be okay if we said no. But I thought you’d like to think about it.”

“After all he’s done for us, I’d feel terrible if we turned him down,” sighed Atem, breaking his counting rhythm.

Yugi, to his slight surprise, chuckled a little. “We’re nothing if not predictable, I suppose… He told me about five different times not to feel obligated as if he knew we’d feel that anyway.”

Atem felt a grin twitch at the corners of his mouth, in spite of the anxiety that hadn’t quite gone away. “He gets points for trying,” he said, fondness for the younger Kaiba filling him. He _would_ feel guilty if he turned Mokuba down, but he also genuinely wanted to do something for him, if only as a friend.

He turned the possibilities over in his mind, trying to push past the anxious fluttering in his gut. It pretty much came down to trusting Mokuba completely, he supposed. There were risks and variables that no one could control; it would be foolish to believe otherwise. But could he trust that Mokuba would be able to handle anything that came their way, particularly from his insane, murderous older brother?

He was barely aware that he’d stopped walking, gazing into the water but seeing none of it. Theories and possible scenarios played in Atem’s mind, almost all at once. It got overwhelming fast, but he breathed, found his rhythm, and strategized.

Mokuba could absolutely be trusted.

But _did_ he trust him enough for this?

“Oh _no_ ,” Yugi’s low, worried tone cut through his thoughts. He looked over to his left, at his partner, who was looking at his phone, ashen-faced. He leaned over and showed Atem the message on the screen.

_I can’t find him. He left his phone behind._

It was from Mokuba’s coded name, but this time there was nothing cryptic about this. Kaiba was unaccounted for; he’d left work and either forgotten his phone or deliberately left it behind, and apparently Mokuba couldn’t track him without it. Atem felt himself grow tense all over.

“Should we risk walking home?” Yugi’s voice was a quiet half-whisper; only a couple of other people were about, meandering by the river, but they could never be too careful about their voices carrying. “Or keep on this path? Or go somewhere else?”

He sounded as nervous as Atem felt. “Let’s keep walking for a bit and then head home,” he said, hoping he sounded a little more confident than he actually was, “We’ve been out for a while now anyway; Grandpa will want us back at the shop soon.”

Yugi nodded. “Good point,” he said, and for a moment, his worried frown smoothed a little. “You doing okay?”

“Mostly,” Atem answered honestly; the fear had become a dull churning in his stomach, but it wasn’t overwhelming. Not yet, anyway. For now, he was in control of himself.

Yugi drew him into a soft, tender embrace, and he responded immediately, holding his partner a little more tightly than he’d intended. Feeling his partner’s arms around him was always wonderful; he felt safe and loved and… _complete_. He felt his anxiety melt away, time itself seeming to come to a halt.

They broke apart after a moment, and Atem could tell that the contented smile on Yugi’s face mirrored his own. Yugi raised a hand and caressed his face, opening his mouth to say something…

...And then his gaze shifted to something behind Atem and his expression changed from loving to horrified in the space of about half a second. A hand gripped his arm and _yanked_ , and he felt a spike of panic before he realized that Yugi was now in front of him: he’d hauled Atem behind him faster than he could fully process.

And then Atem realized why, with a flash of horror and dread that he tried not to show.

Kaiba was striding up to them, a pleased but feral grin on his face that practically screamed to anyone looking that he was dangerous.

“That’s far enough, Kaiba.” Yugi’s voice rang out loudly, fiercely. He slid his grip on Atem’s arm down to his hand, grasping it tightly; Atem clutched it like a lifeline. Anger rose in him, that he was _still_ afraid, that Kaiba was _still_ pursuing him. Yugi shifted so he was more fully in front of him, protecting him. Atem focused all his fear into their clasped hands, took a breath, and stood straight, glaring at his enemy over Yugi’s shoulder.

He would not run from Kaiba. Not this time.

He wouldn’t let him hurt Yugi, either.

Kaiba, surprisingly, stopped about ten paces from them at Yugi’s command. “Hello,” was all he said, though his voice was mocking, a parody of pleasantry.

“What do you want?” Atem snapped, and realized Yugi had said the same thing, at the same time. If every nerve hadn’t been on edge and taut enough to snap, he would have smiled.

Kaiba laughed, the same awful, maniacal laugh he’d heard in his torture chamber; that terrible room and the pain flashed across his memory and he clenched his teeth against the terror that came with it. His palms were sweating but he gripped Yugi’s hand harder and felt him respond in kind; it was hard enough to hurt but that was what he needed - a reminder that he was outside, in public, with Yugi, and safe. Mostly safe.

“I want what I’ve always wanted,” Kaiba sneered, and his hands actually _twitched_ , as though wanting to wrap themselves around his neck.

“You can’t have him,” Yugi growled, bristling with fury. “You’ve _never_ touching him again.”

“What you want,” Atem added, holding onto his own anger - it kept the anxiety at bay, “is _insane_ , Kaiba. What you’ve _already_ _done_ is insane.” He suppressed a shudder.

“I WANT WHAT IS MINE,” thundered Kaiba, his face now an ugly mask of rage. “It is MINE and it is OWED ME and YOU WILL NOT KEEP ME FROM IT.” He started forward a couple of steps; Atem’s instinct was to step back but Yugi wouldn’t budge, and he pulled Atem a little closer behind him.

“YOU STOP RIGHT THERE,” Yugi shouted, with an authority ringing in his voice that made Kaiba pause.

“It is _mine_ ,” Kaiba glowered at his partner.

“And _what_ exactly is yours, Kaiba?” Atem asked quietly, hoping the answer wasn’t what he thought it was.

Kaiba’s furious, deranged gaze bored into his own and he had to force himself not to look away. “Victory,” he finally snarled.

“Victory is earned fair and square,” Yugi shot back immediately. “In a fair fight, in an honorable duel, not in _torturing someone and nearly killing them_.” Atem noticed a lone person stop and stare, though no one else was close. Part of him felt relieved that there was a witness in case something drastic happened; the rest of him cringed at this public airing of his ordeal.

“VICTORY IS WHAT I SAY IT IS,” Kaiba roared, but stayed where he was. His hands twitched again and he clenched them into fists. “And I say it’s beating you FOR GOOD and FINAL and GONE so _everything will be fine again_.”

Atem blinked; that sentence had… not quite made sense. But he understood, and felt sick inside. “I am not the cause of your problems,” he managed to say firmly. “It is not my doing that you can’t let this go.”

Practically on top of his last sentence, Yugi snorted. “Everything will be _fine_?! Look at yourself! You’re crazy, you’re coming at us like this in broad daylight _during work hours_ , you're hardly coherent, and you just admitted you’re obsessed; you think that whatever you do to Atem will _fix_ any of that?!”

“WHATEVER IS NECESSARY WILL FIX IT.” Kaiba had a dangerous look in his eyes now, a maniacal gleam that twisted his features further.

“YOU WILL NEVER TOUCH HIM AGAIN,” Yugi snarled right back before Atem could say anything; he was thoroughly impressed with his partner’s courage. He himself was fighting the urge to turn and run. “You will NEVER hurt him again, and you will NEVER kill him, _do you understand me?_ ”

To Atem’s intense discomfort, Kaiba began to laugh softly. He’d expected him to rage at them again or even physically attack… not this. In the dead silence that surrounded them, his laughter echoed, rebounding off the bridge nearby, raising it into a chorus of insanity that clawed at Atem’s core.

“ _Kill_ him?” Kaiba finally said, in a soft tone that was far more menacing than his rage-fueled shouts. “No, no, Yugi, I wouldn’t _kill_ him, that’s not the plan, what good would that do?”

Panic shrieked within Atem, pounding through his skull; he didn’t want to hear any more, he just wanted to be home, away from Kaiba, safe with Yugi, he didn’t want to know Kaiba’s plan, the first plan had been bad enough…

“You made a good attempt last time,” Yugi snapped, and Atem focused on his voice, on the hand clutching his own in a vice-like grip, on his breathing.

Kaiba shook his head, smiling like he was explaining something obvious to an idiot. “No, that’s not the plan,” he repeated.

“YOU NEARLY KILLED HIM,” Yugi’s exasperated shout echoed, but this time it was welcome to Atem’s ears; he was realizing what Kaiba was getting at and it was taking all his energy to not let himself collapse. Yugi’s voice, Yugi’s grip, his mere _presence_ kept him grounded.

“That _wasn’t_ the plan,” Kaiba said, looking irritated. “That isn’t the plan, it isn’t victory, it isn't fun, it can’t be victory if he’s dead, if it ends.”

“I’m right here,” Atem managed to growl; the part of his brain that was still functional was growing rather insulted that Kaiba was talking about him as if he wasn’t there, or was just a mere object.

Yugi, however, had grasped Kaiba’s intent. “...You mean you want him _constantly_ under your thumb,” he breathed, horror-struck, “You mean he’d be stuck in that… that _hellhole_ you created… forever.”

Kaiba smiled again, a beatific and psychotic smile, the stuff of nightmares. “Obviously,” he said simply. Then he leered, his predatory gaze boring into Atem’s. “And who would stop me, you’re my _experiment_ , yes? My own little _plaything_ , our game was interrupted last time. But I'll defeat you… slowly, but surely, and it’ll be _fun_. My prisoner to fight, defeat, toy with...” _The hand brushing his hip, his briefs, as though it was an accident…_ Atem firmly tried to push that out of his mind, fighting the urge to cringe.

“That,” he glared, “will not happen. You’ll never have the so-called victory you want.” It was harder to concentrate, to stay grounded, but he _had_ to. To give in now was to let Kaiba win.

“No,” agreed Yugi, breathlessly but fiercely. “This sick, twisted, crazy idea of yours will never happen. We’ll make sure of it.” His voice had gained strength, pushing past the shock. “Go back to work, _Kaiba_ , if you’re even capable of working in the state you’re in.”

“It will happen because I say it will,” Kaiba snarled. “Get out of my way, the pharaoh and I have _business_ to discuss.”

“You’ll have to go through me to get to him,” Yugi growled, visibly bracing himself for a fight and stepping fully in front of his other self.

“I’m ‘discussing’ nothing with you,” Atem managed to add, forcing his tone to stay level. _Fight back, fight back as best you can, don’t give in…_

“SETO!”

The call came from above them, to their right, up the bank, and they all turned to look. Atem’s knees nearly gave way in pure relief, because Mokuba was jumping out of the back of a car, hurrying down to them, a security guard following.

“Seto, what are you _doing_?!”

Atem’s attention snapped back to the elder Kaiba, who was looking at his younger brother with a mix of irritation and guilt on his face. “Discussing business,” he grunted, looking rather like a shamefaced child… which was wholly disconcerting.

“Business?! We have a meeting with the gaming developers in ten minutes!” Mokuba spared them both a glance, relief on his face that Atem knew was as much for their safety as finally finding his brother.

“They can wait,” Kaiba snorted, crossing his arms. Mokuba, however, marched right up to him, grabbed his wrist, and pulled; Kaiba had no choice but to uncross his arms and follow to avoid tripping and falling.

“No, they can’t,” Mokuba snapped. “This is _important_. Now _come on_.”

Kaiba sighed in irritation and followed, but shot a burning look back at Atem and Yugi that seemed to say, _This isn’t over_. He climbed into the back of the car with his brother and the guard, and the car took off towards the KaibaCorp tower.

Atem let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding, and felt everything he’d been pushing back overwhelm him all at once. Kaiba wanted him ground down, beaten, never seeing freedom again… a “plaything”, a sex toy, an object to abuse… gods, he’d been tortured for mere hours last time and Kaiba wanted him there _all the time_ , barely alive, knowing nothing but agony and assault… unable to escape, unable to live, unable to die…

His knees buckled, and he felt Yugi turn and catch him before he fell. Relinquishing his death grip on Yugi’s hand, he reached blindly for his partner and found his shoulders, held onto him, not caring who saw. Yugi’s arms around him were strong and protective, his grip as hard as Atem’s. He tried to fight the waves of panic, knowing he was having an attack, a bad one, but he was unable to stop it. So he just let his head fall onto Yugi’s shoulder and gasped for breath, shaking, clinging desperately to his partner.

Dimly, he heard a couple of concerned voices, strangers’ voices asking if he was all right, if Kaiba had really hurt him like they’d heard. Yugi answered for him: yes, he was okay, just lightheaded; yes, Kaiba was responsible for the injuries they’d seen in previous weeks and yeah, he really was crazy, wasn’t he…

He tuned them out. He couldn’t think about that now, and he didn’t want to. He just had to focus on breathing and Yugi and Yugi’s arms holding him up, keeping him safe. He felt, rather than heard, Yugi’s voice, its familiar timbre a comfort, telling him quietly that he was safe, that he loved him, that things would be okay.

He didn’t know how long they stood there, but eventually, his breathing came at least somewhat under his control and he found his footing. Yugi shifted his grip and walked him to a bench so they could sit. He buried his face into his partner’s shoulder, trying not to cry and failing. He’d been doing so _well_ … so well up to this point, but he’d fallen apart again, and he _hated_ that he was falling apart. He wasn’t brave, he wasn’t strong, he was a _mess_.

Yugi, however, vehemently disagreed when he mumbled an apology for it all. “Excuse me? You had to confront him for the first time since that awful day, and you managed to look him in the eye and defy him, and you call that _weak_? That was _amazing_ , Atem; you’re SO strong and you showed it today. I’m proud of you.” Yugi kissed the top of his head. “I was scared, too, you know,” he added softly, “Especially when I finally put two and two together on what he had planned… I never want to let go of you; I can’t imagine…” he took a breath, cutting himself off.

For a while, they just sat there, holding each other. Eventually, Atem felt the tears stop and the panic slowly recede, felt himself able to cool down and relax again. And in those moments of peace, he came to a decision.

“Yugi,” he said softly.

“Hmm?” his partner responded, tracing a pattern on his shoulder, like he always did to soothe him.

“I want to do the testing for Mokuba.” He wanted to stop running. This would be a good step in the right direction.

“...Okay. Me too.” Yugi’s arms gave him a squeeze. “My brave other self,” he murmured.

Atem felt his lips quirk in a small smile against Yugi’s shoulder. “Look who’s talking,” he responded quietly. “Yelling at him like that, standing your ground when I was ready to run…”

He felt Yugi’s soft, gratified chuckle rumble in his chest. “I learned it from you.”

“You always had great courage in you,” Atem corrected fondly. “You just didn’t know it right away.”

Atem felt Yugi’s phone buzz, though thankfully it was in his other pocket, so he didn’t have to move. Yugi shifted to pull it out, and gave a slightly relieved sigh. “Mokuba’s asking if we’re okay.”

“We are, thanks to him. He got to us just at the right time,” Atem said, not wanting to leave Yugi’s embrace even to read the message. He felt wrapped in a cocoon of peace and safety and did not want to break out.

“He probably used my phone’s location to come right to us,” Yugi said, as he typed his response. “He’d have known Kaiba would only leave work like that for one reason. I’m telling him we’re good to go for his testing project, by the way,” he added.

“Good.” A light wind picked up, making him shiver a little. He realized the cloudy day was growing a little darker.

So, apparently, had Yugi. “Let’s go home,” he said, “I don’t particularly want to get caught in any rain, and Grandpa’s expecting us anyway, like you said.”

Reluctantly, Atem sat up, rising when Yugi did so. Instead of taking his hand or merely walking next to him, however, Yugi immediately wrapped his arm around him as they started home, staying close.

“...Not that I’m complaining,” Atem said lightly, sliding his own arm around his partner’s waist, “but is everything all right? You don’t usually—”

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I didn’t want to let go of you,” Yugi said quietly. “It feels better to hold you; I know it’s silly… but hearing Kaiba’s so-called _plan_ , I just… it’s so _horrifying_.” He shuddered, turning to Atem with a look that was both afraid and determined. “I will protect you from that with _everything_ I have, my other self.”

“I know you will,” Atem smiled a little, and leaned in to kiss Yugi’s temple. “I always feel safest with you, partner… and I won’t let anything happen to you, either.”

They walked quietly together toward the game shop, arms around each other, and Atem felt a rush of appreciation and affection for his wonderful other half. _Of course_ all this was nerve-racking for him, too, but he _always_ put Atem’s needs first and would risk his safety for him again and again without being asked. No one in the world was better than his selfless, courageous, brilliant partner. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the gods that fate had brought them together.

“For the record,” he said, as they approached the shop, “holding you is always the best feeling in the world. Always.” He smiled when Yugi looked at him in mild surprise, a rather attractive blush tingeing his cheeks. “And you’re very cute when you blush,” he couldn’t help adding mischievously.

Yugi promptly wrinkled his nose at him in mock protest, but gave him a quick kiss anyway. They entered the shop together, and busied themselves with assisting Grandpa for the afternoon and evening rush. And for those few hours, Atem felt blessedly normal.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some not-explicit-but-definitely-mature content in this chapter for our boys.

Yugi had to pee, but he was way too comfortable to move.

It didn’t help that Atem was mostly on top of him, snoring slightly. He didn’t mind, though… or, he wouldn’t mind if he didn’t need to use the bathroom; he would inevitably wake his sleeping partner if he tried to extricate himself, and Atem needed the rest. They’d had a long, emotional rollercoaster of a day.

He’d tried to keep just how badly the encounter with Kaiba had shaken him to himself; Atem had desperately needed support after that, and he was more than happy to be there for him, only voicing his own worry in small doses. But the more he thought about it, the more sick he felt inside, and the more he wanted to cling to his partner and never let go.

_“It can’t be victory if he’s dead, if it ends.”_

The words echoed in his mind, and he instinctively held Atem a little tighter. Apparently, Kaiba’s only goal was to crush his other self under his boot, keep him trapped and alone and helpless, at his whim to abuse and torture as he liked. Forever. Atem had been hurt _so_ badly in mere _hours_ , and Kaiba wanted it to be _long-term_... The awful cruelty of it took Yugi’s breath away just thinking about it.

Unbidden, the image that had haunted his dreams every so often came back to him: _Atem hanging from wide metal cuffs, which were cutting into his skin; Kaiba raising a lethal-looking whip to strike even though Atem was covered in blood… His battered, bloody face, tears leaking from closed eyes, his flinch when Yugi touched him striking a blow in Yugi’s heart…_

 _Stop_ , he told himself firmly, feeling himself start to panic. _Stop. He's okay. He's in your arms. He's okay._ He took a deep breath, pushing the nightmare away, concentrating on his partner’s sleeping form.

He could feel the scars under his hands, the lines criss-crossing his other half’s back. They’d always be there, now. He traced them with one hand, stopping when a shiver ran up his partner’s spine. They were both bare, and the night was cooling down; Yugi managed to reach the edge of the topsheet covering their lower halves and pull it up around them, smiling slightly when he felt Atem shift a little, cuddling closer.

He loved holding him. He really did.

They’d actually made love that night, which was not something Yugi had anticipated… but as the evening was winding down, Atem had turned to him, a strange kind of strain on his face...

_“Yugi,” he said, hesitantly._

_“What’s wrong? Feeling anxious?” Yugi took his hand._

_“No—well, yes, but probably not the way you’re thinking.” He looked almost embarrassed. “Yugi, can we… tonight, I mean, can you…” he trailed off._

_Yugi frowned a little; he had an idea of where Atem was going with this but couldn’t figure out why he was so nervous. “Spit it out, my other self,” he said, as gently as he could. He squeezed his partner’s hand, and Atem took a deep breath._

_“I want you to take me tonight,” he said in a quiet rush._

_“...What?” Yugi couldn’t help staring, understanding Atem’s euphemism. The last time they’d tried that particular kind of intimacy, he’d panicked, and hadn’t felt up to it since… though to be fair, it had been fairly soon after he’d healed and they hadn’t figured out that intimacy would be a problem in general at that point._

_Yugi loved both topping and bottoming for his other half, but dominating held a special kind of pleasure for him. He would have felt a lot happier about the request, however, if Atem didn’t look so… well, desperate and upset._

_“You don’t want to?” Atem bit his lip._

_“It’s not that,” Yugi reassured him, “I’d love to. But… Atem, what’s wrong? You don’t seem happy about it and I don’t want to do something you’re not comfortable with.” He was genuinely worried now, but tried not to let him see it._

_Atem sighed, and jerked his head towards their room; Yugi understood he wanted to talk as privately as possible, and they headed up together._

_“It’s… it’s Kaiba,” he muttered, sitting on the bed and staring at his knees as Yugi closed the door. His bangs fell forward, hiding his expression. “I can’t… I can’t get what he said out of my head.”_

_“I can’t, either,” Yugi admitted, sitting beside him. “But what does that have to do with_ — _”_

_“He would have raped me,” Atem burst out. “He would have that day, he would have done it again and again, and today…” he took a breath, clenching his hands into fists. “Today I was reminded of all that all over again, but that part stuck out the most…”_

_Yugi put his arm around him in quiet comfort, but as soon as he did so, Atem turned to him in a rush and grabbed his shoulders. There were tears in his eyes._

_“Yugi… I don’t want anyone but you to touch me like that,” he said, his voice an urgent undertone. “I don’t want anyone but you to touch me or take me or ANYTHING, and I keep hearing his threat and feeling his hand…” he clenched his eyes shut, shaking. “I only want you,” he whispered, “I want to hear YOU, not him; I want to FEEL you… not him.”_

_Yugi was stunned; he had no idea Atem was still haunted by that so badly. He’d always been a little hesitant, a little shy when it came to intimacy back when they still shared his body, but so had Yugi, and they’d found a comfortable rhythm and figured out what they liked eventually. Yugi could not imagine himself with someone else, but had tried to distance himself from that notion with Atem in the afterlife… but apparently, Atem had felt the same._

_He drew Atem into an embrace and held him tightly. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say just yet, but his partner didn’t press him, just wrapped his arms around him in turn._

_On the one hand, this was not a good reason to push for intimacy he might not be ready for, and could end up making him feel worse._

_On the other… Yugi hadn’t fully recognized his own turbulent thoughts until Atem had voiced his, but he realized then just how fervently he agreed: he didn’t want anyone else touching his other self, either. No one else, and DEFINITELY not Kaiba. Ever. Atem was HIS partner and HIS love, and he wanted to make him happy. And if he wanted to forget about that psychopath..._

_“...I don’t want anyone else to touch you like that, either,” he finally murmured into Atem’s hair. “But promise me… the second you feel uncomfortable or like it’s going too far, you say so, okay?” He pulled away, looking earnestly into his partner’s face; he needed to know he would speak up if he needed to._

_Atem looked him in the eye, relief and longing in his face. “I promise, partner,” he breathed._

_Their lovemaking wasn’t their usual playful game; it had been serious and tense… but arousing in a new way. Yugi had enjoyed it, had been careful and gentle, making sure his partner was feeling only pleasure, that any restraints did not cause fear… and the blissful, relaxed smile on Atem’s face after he released had been the best possible reward._

_“Thank you, partner,” Atem murmured, curling up next to him after Yugi had cleaned them both off, his head on his shoulder. “I needed that. I love you.” He kissed Yugi’s neck softly._

_Yugi smiled, feeling the afterglow of his own release relax him, and he drew his partner close. “I love you too, my other self,” he said, rubbing his back. “How’re you feeling?”_

_“Wonderful,” Atem sighed, and Yugi could tell he was sleepy already. “Safe. You always make me feel safe…” And he drifted off._

Yugi blinked, yawning a little. He wondered whether Atem knew what effect those words had had on him; probably not, or not entirely. For so long, Atem had been his protector, the powerful spirit of the Puzzle who would lend him strength and confidence when he needed it; even as they learned from each other and became true equals, as they discovered their feelings for each other, Yugi always felt safe and protected with him nearby. He was protective of his other self, too, of course, but he’d never quite believed that Atem felt the same kind of security with him.

He liked that he could be depended upon for safety, rather than always depending on others for it. He liked that Atem could depend on him when he needed to.

His partner shifted a little in his sleep at that moment, with the unfortunate result of his elbow bearing down a little on Yugi’s abdomen… which reminded Yugi rather sharply of his need for the restroom. He sighed, half amused, half resigned to the fact that he’d have to wake Atem, just so he could move.

 _His fault for sleeping on me like this in the first place_ , he thought, a smile quirking his lips. He moved one of his hands down to his partner’s ribcage, a spot he knew was sensitive, and poked him gently. When he got no response, he poked him again. And then again.

“Mmmph,” came a disgruntled groan, and Yugi couldn’t keep himself from grinning. He poked him a fourth time, and a muffled whine of protest came from his partner.

“Sorry,” Yugi whispered, “But you’re on top of me. I gotta pee. If you don’t let me up, we’ll both be smelling pretty bad soon.”

“Oh. Mmkay.” Atem half-shifted, half-flopped off of him, and Yugi got up immediately, making sure Atem was still well covered before making a beeline for the bathroom.

When he returned, Atem was curled on his side, not quite asleep yet. Yugi climbed in next to him, and wrapped his arms around him once more, smiling when he felt Atem shift so his head rested on Yugi’s shoulder.

“Sorry I woke you,” he said softly.

“S’okay,” Atem mumbled. “You okay now?”

“Yep,” Yugi sighed. “I am… relieved.”

A pause, and then a slightly aggrieved sigh answered his pun. Yugi grinned, and kissed the top of his partner’s head. “Go on and sleep again, my other self,” he whispered. “We gotta be at our best for Mokuba’s VR dueling tomorrow.”

“Mmm,” Atem assented. He drifted off fairly quickly, and soon Yugi heard the slow breathing rhythm that comes from deep sleep.

Yugi lay awake a little longer; his mind refusing to shut down. If something happened… if Kaiba showed up and Mokuba couldn’t stop him…. the worries played out in his mind, and he took a few slow breaths to ease his thoughts.

Mokuba was exceptionally smart, and would not put them in any possible danger if he could help it; he’d assured Yugi that they’d have protection while they were there and that they’d be a couple dozen floors below Kaiba’s offices, so their chances of running into him were very low. It helped, too, that Kaiba himself had recognized that he was too unstable to test a VR system that tapped directly into one’s brain, so he was avoiding that area entirely.

Mokuba had come through for them both again and again, and Yugi trusted him. They would be okay.

And if something happened and they weren’t… he’d just make sure he’d be between Atem and Kaiba. He would keep his other half safe, whatever it took.


	14. Chapter 14

“Whoa,” Atem gasped, staring open-mouthed at the crystal-clear and very _real-_ looking city surrounding him.

Yugi was gaping, too. “This is _incredible_ ,” he breathed.

Mokuba materialized next to them in a flash of light, three-dimensional pixels quickly building his virtual avatar. It looked pretty much like his real-world self, as they themselves did. “Yep,” he grinned, “welcome to our new Virtual World, where aaaaanything is possible!” He swept out his arm in a grand gesture, making Atem smile.

“This is amazing,” Yugi said, looking around in all directions. “This is even _better_ than what we dueled with in the dome with Diva.” He walked over to a tree and poked it. “This _feels_ solid! And… well, not EXACTLY like actual tree bark, but pretty close!”

They stood on a long, broad boulevard, pristine trees lining the divide between each side, fantastical buildings of every size rising on each block. They were distinctly different architecturally, but worked together to create an almost artistic look. It was like a futuristic Domino City… or an alternate reality, for that matter. It was familiar… yet different than what Atem was used to seeing. There was even a breeze playing across his face, and bright white wisps of clouds drifting across a too-blue sky.

“We didn’t want to make things TOO exact to reality or people would freak out,” Mokuba explained. “Virtual reality is supposed to look and feel different. So the trees are too smooth, things are a little more colorful, that kind of stuff. This is my baseline area creation; we’re in the city now, but there’s small sections of each land and water type surrounding it so we can test them all.”

“And you created it all through _thought_?” Atem was incredibly impressed.

“Yep,” the younger Kaiba looked proud of himself, and Atem could not at all blame him. “It took a lot of work, of course… you start with a basic idea and the system creates it, then you tweak and change things, or add things, or whatever, as you go. The system saves it when you give a command, or locks something in place if you don’t want a stray idea erasing it.”

“But what happens when other people are inside?” Yugi asked the question Atem was thinking. “All those thoughts and ideas spinning around; that could get dizzying… or people could try to mess with things and each other.”

Mokuba’s smile was mischievous. “Try creating something.”

Atem looked to his left and imagined a tall pine growing where three of the smaller, manicured trees were standing.

Nothing happened.

He glanced at Yugi, who was staring off in front of himself, a look of concentration on his face… which gave way to confusion a second later, and then sudden comprehension.

“OHHH,” he exclaimed. “There are levels of access, aren’t there?”

“You got it,” Mokuba nodded. “I’m the creator of this place, so I have full creative control over what happens. Like the owner or administrator of a website. You two don’t have control over anything but yourselves right now. I want to work you both up to full creator status, but it takes a lot of work and mental exercise to learn how to properly sustain things while not actively concentrating on it, or learning when you can mentally let go so the computer can take over. If I had to keep every single detail of this place in the forefront of my mind,” he gestured around them, “I’d go nuts. Or I’d at least give myself an INSANE headache… which I learned the hard way,” he added with a slight grimace.

“So you can create just about anything you want,” Atem mused. The possibilities were _mind-boggling_ , and also incredibly exciting. “Can you make people do things? Actual users, I mean.”

Yugi gave him a look of mild concern, but he answered it with a quick smile. No, he wasn’t nervous; he was intrigued about the limits of this place.

“Sort of,” Mokuba said. He closed his eyes for a second…

...and Yugi YELPED, having just shot ten feet into the air, a look of utter shock on his face that made Atem laugh in spite of himself. His partner glowered half-heartedly at him as he was slowly lowered to the ground.

Mokuba was laughing, too. “Sorry, Yugi,” he giggled. “I had to pick one of you.”

“I can’t do that to _him_ yet, can I?” Yugi jerked his thumb in Atem’s direction. Atem resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at his partner.

“Nope, not yet,” Mokuba grinned. “Don’t worry, though…”

Atem nearly choked as he felt the air solidify around him for a split second before he blinked and found himself ten feet up, staring down at the other two with _nothing holding him up_ … and yet, he _felt_ that he wouldn’t actually fall if he tried to move. He couldn’t explain how, though.

“...Fair’s fair, and it’s his turn,” Mokuba had continued, though his voice was now a softer echo.

It was Yugi’s turn to laugh. “Oh my god, Atem, your _face right now_ ,” he called up.

“You looked no better, I’m sure,” Atem shot back, fighting back a grin.

He felt, suddenly, like an invisible platform was under his feet. Said platform lowered him gently to the ground.

“I take it that kind of privilege is reserved only for creators like you,” Atem said dryly once his feet were firmly planted.

“Yep,” Mokuba said. “Sorry for the shock, but you need to know how that feels when you’re not expecting it and your guard is down. NOW, however, I want you two to be ready for it, okay? Fight back this time; I can’t quite tell you how as everyone reacts differently. So this way you figure out how you resist.”

Atem nodded, noting in his peripheral vision that Yugi was doing the same. A bare flicker of an image raced through his mind - _fight back, don’t let him win_ \- but he pushed it back easily. This was too fascinating for fear to win the day. He took a breath and mentally steeled himself.

He felt that split second of the air solidifying, and reacted. He _willed_ himself to stay put, to breathe normal air. _No one controlled him, ever._

He stayed where he was and the pressure dissolved. Yugi had stayed put, too.

“Good job!” Mokuba’s grin was infectious, and Atem relaxed, grinning back. “You two are so strong-willed anyway that I figured it’d be pretty easy for you, but still, that was impressive. Both of you pushed me right back. See, the user has automatic final control over their own self, so if someone with access to player control wanted to move them, they’d have to consciously say ‘no’, so to speak. I’m still working on it, though; there are situations where a creator or moderator needs to override that.”

“That’s good,” Yugi said, frowning thoughtfully. “You’re still not going to let just anyone be able to push other users around as they like, though, right?”

“Right,” Mokuba said. “This, I think, would be used for special games that a user can create - like say someone sets up an RPG area; they won’t want their players coming in anywhere they like, so the user can place them if they’re the DM, which gives them moderating privileges.”

“Aaahhh,” Atem nodded in understanding.

“Or if two users get into a fight, a moderator can physically separate them,” Yugi said. “Or if they get stuck somewhere and can’t figure out how to mentally get out?”

“Yep,” Mokuba nodded. “There will have to be one or two tiers of moderator-type users for things like that, for sure. But that’s part of what you guys will be helping me figure out.”

“...So we really get to help sculpt some of this,” Yugi smiled, looking almost awed, his eyes bright. Atem felt affection swell in him; this was fun for himself, for sure, but he knew Yugi really wanted to create games of his own. This was an amazing first step for that dream.

“Do you create people or NPCs, too?” Atem asked, glancing around the empty street. “Or does the computer generate them for you?”

“Both,” Mokuba said, and instantly several people were ambling on the sidewalk on each side. “I basically just told the system that I wanted 12 random NPCs and it generated them. It has all kinds of groupings, races, sizes, family units, couples, you name it, and will pick them randomly. I CAN create an NPC fairly quickly myself if the character isn’t too fleshed out. There is, however, the capability to fully render a complex person’s personality; it just takes a lot of time.”

“Have you created one?” Yugi asked eagerly; Atem was wondering the same thing.

“No…” Mokuba said slowly, and surprisingly hesitantly. “But… well, Seto did. Of you,” he said to Atem, looking almost apologetic.

Atem stared, at a loss for anything to say. Anxiety warred with curiosity in him; he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what Kaiba had wanted with a virtual version of himself, but he was also… intrigued to see how it would look.

“...Why… does that not entirely surprise me,” Yugi sighed, after a moment.

“I take it he didn’t bother notifying you or asking you for your consent,” Mokuba said dryly to his partner. Yugi gave him a very sardonic look. “...Yep, thought so.”

“...Do I want to know why he did it?” Atem asked hesitantly; nervousness fluttered his intestines.

“It was his way of seeing just how much the VR system could do, I think,” Mokuba sighed. “And also… he’s Seto and figured dueling a VR version would be enough since you were gone.”

“But it wasn’t enough,” Yugi glowered at the virtual street beneath his feet. Atem swallowed hard, willing himself to stay calm. He took a deep breath, and Yugi’s head shot up to look at him. He quickly stepped over and put his arm around Atem’s shoulders. Atem smiled gratefully.

“No, it wasn’t,” Mokuba agreed sadly. “But the tests were pretty amazing. Want to see one?”

Yugi looked at him, signaling that it was his call. He _was_ genuinely curious… so he nodded. “All right.”

Two opposing corners appeared in midair in front of them, pulling apart to create a screen. Mokuba walked to stand beside them… and Atem’s jaw dropped.

He saw _himself_ … well, himself as he had been when sharing Yugi’s body; he was pale and wore Yugi’s uniform with the jacket thrown over his shoulders as he used to do. But it… really _did_ look like him. The figure even _breathed_.

“Holy _shit_ ,” Yugi breathed. “If I didn’t know better…” he trailed off, staring.

“Yeah,” Mokuba agreed. “It’s uncanny, isn’t it?” They both nodded.

The VR version of himself strode forward, a duel disk materializing on his wrist, to face… Kaiba. A slight pang of anxiety clenched his gut, but Yugi gave his shoulder a squeeze. And Kaiba wasn’t looking directly at him anyway; nor did he look deranged or angry. He looked to be his old self: calm, cold, fully collected but ready to fight.

 _“I take it you want to duel,”_ VR-Atem said, his voice echoing in what Atem now realized was a beautifully rendered—

“A _cathedral_?” Yugi’s tone was both stunned and slightly amused. “ _Really?!_ He created a _cathedral_ to duel in?” His laugh was incredulous, and Atem had to agree. Words could not entirely describe his feelings about _that_. “It’s beautiful, but…”

“Yep. That’s my brother for you,” Mokuba said wryly.

The footage of the duel played out, and Atem felt his cheeks grow warm as he watched Kaiba’s virtual version of himself.

“...I am not _nearly_ that over-dramatic,” he mumbled finally, at one particularly over-the-top gesture, turning to Yugi for confirmation.

Yugi, however, burst out laughing.

“What?!” Atem demanded, feeling his face get warmer. Mokuba started laughing, too, and the footage paused. “I’m—I’m really not!” At least, he didn’t _think_ he was…?

Yugi actually let go of him and doubled over, tears pricking his eyes as he practically _shrieked_ with mirth. Atem felt both amused at his partner and very stupid, like he’d missed something completely obvious.

“You… you’re pretty dramatic when you duel, Atem,” Mokuba managed between giggles. “So are you, Yugi, by the way,” he added mischievously, and his cackling partner straightened a little to shoot the younger Kaiba a thumbs up.

“Yeah,” he gasped, wiping his face as spontaneous chuckles erupted out of him every few breaths. “But… I at least… KNOW. Atem… how… how could you NOT…” he dissolved into full-blown laughter again.

Embarrassment still heated his face, but he couldn’t help grinning a little at his partner’s expression. “I… I suppose I just let myself get into it,” he offered, a little defensively. “I can’t see myself from the outside…”

“It’s part of why people like watching you guys duel.” Mokuba was still giggling a little but he’d sobered enough to string a coherent sentence together. “The King of Games, pulling stunning victories with a flair for the dramatic; everyone loves a good show. Don’t worry, though… no one gets more ridiculous on the dueling field than my brother when it comes to theatrics.”

“I’m not sure if that makes me feel better,” Atem said dryly… though it actually kind of did.

Yugi finally stopped laughing and straightened fully, wiping his eyes. “It should,” he grinned. “You never made an entire stadium think you’d just blown up a plane with the pilot still inside.”

“... _What?!_ ” Atem practically sputtered, his thoughts shuddering to a halt; how Kaiba had managed something like _that_ …? And WHY had he done something like that…?

“I told him it was over the top,” Mokuba groaned, though he still looked amused. “But he wanted the unveiling of the VR to make a big splash. Here, look.” The paused footage of the virtual duel vanished, and in its place, a video showing fighter planes in formation began to play. Atem watched, intrigued, and then alarmed when one plane malfunctioned and began spiraling towards the crowd below.

And then he just stared in horror as Kaiba burst out of nowhere in _a mech that looked like a Blue-Eyes_ , and flat-out _blew the plane up_. “He just–oh my _god_ —” The plane, the pilot still inside, he’d just _killed a man_ … and then it all vanished, with Kaiba himself standing on a translucent platform. “...That was all _virtual_?!”

“Yep,” Mokuba smiled. “Everyone reacted the way you did, Atem; even I thought it was real for a moment. It took him _weeks_ to get all the details and sensations on it right, though; something like that takes layers and layers of sensory data played out just right.”

“Joey said he wet himself,” Yugi added, and Atem grinned. Typical Joey.

“Anyway,” Mokuba said, and the virtual screen vanished. “That’s just some of what this whole system can do. You can see the possibilities; it’s _really_ exciting.”

“It _really_ is,” Atem agreed wholeheartedly. “What kind of games are you creating for it?”

“Well, right now there’s the Duel Links network,” Mokuba said. “Virtual dueling, you know. Seto had the idea of creating “boss” characters to fight, and using some of Pegasus’ ideas from Duelist Kingdom, like the terrain you’re dueling on acting as a field bonus or detractor. It’s just P2P dueling right now, with mini tournaments and such, but we want to start little storylines and adventure narratives. And RPGs as a separate thing. That’s where you guys come in.”

“That’s a great idea,” Yugi smiled. “Who do you have in mind for boss characters? Us?”

“Yep,” the younger Kaiba nodded. “I’d like to make a VR version of you, Yugi, for players to fight once they reach a certain level… would that be okay?”

Yugi visibly brightened. “That’d be so _cool_ ,” he enthused. “How would we go about that? Recording me dueling?”

“That’d be part of it, yeah,” Mokuba said. “Once we get past the initial creation phases, I’d have you and other top duelists fight each other here over the course of a few weeks so the system can replicate your strategies. I’ll probably ask Joey to join in, too.”

“Oh, he’ll love that,” Atem grinned. “I guarantee he’ll say yes.”

“Awesome!” Mokuba pulled up what looked like a virtual notepad, typed something, and then waved it away, causing it to disappear. “Actually, Atem… I wondered if I could take Seto’s version of you and make it your Egyptian self. Kind of set up a storyline where the player can discover the “legend of the game”, so to speak, and battle you as a final boss type of character. Not evil,” he said quickly, correctly interpreting Atem’s slight frown, “or maybe not the ACTUAL final boss; earning the right to fight alongside you against the actual evil.”

“So basically, you’d be telling our story,” Yugi said, looking surprised but also gratified. “People would just think it was an interesting take on the game, but…”

“...It’d basically be that, yeah,” Mokuba looked Atem in the eye, seeming to search his face for any kind of confirmation or denial. “I don’t want to do that without your consent, though… but it’s a good story. People should discover what you’ve done, even if they think it’s just a work of fiction.”

Atem thought about it, turning the idea over in his mind. On the one hand, it meant a lot that Mokuba wanted his story told; on the other, it’d be kind of weird seeing it played out as a fantasy story. “...And the fact that I look like Yugi…?” he questioned, more to give himself a little more time than anything else.

“Yugi’s the King of Games; it’d be a nice little homage to him, I think… I DON’T think we need to bring the Items or the personality swapping in to make it plausible,” Mokuba mused.

“I love that,” Yugi breathed, and Atem looked at him; his face was shining. “It’d be honoring you, Atem; you had to go through so much and so few people know… it’d be nice to give you some credit for it all, even if people don’t know it’s actually real history,” he beamed, taking his hand.

...He never could argue with Yugi when he looked so thrilled. And it _was_ very touching that Mokuba wanted him to be remembered. “All right,” he smiled. “It means a lot, Mokuba, really. Thank you.”

“All right!” the younger Kaiba enthused. “Oh man, I’m excited. Let’s get to work; the faster you two can learn how to create and manipulate this system, the faster we can start building all this.”


	15. Chapter 15

Atem had a _raging_ headache.

After the third solid day of working in the Virtual World network with Yugi and Mokuba, they’d started actively creating things of varying sizes within Mokuba’s city and learning to mentally sustain them… and it was _exhausting_.

He was flopped on the couch in the living room, half-sitting, half-reclining, his head tilted back. Even with his eyes closed, his head still pounded.

Movement off to his left reached his ears, Yugi’s soft tread shuffling a little slower than usual. Two clinks sounded on the table, and Atem felt the couch shift as Yugi sat next to him.

“Hey,” his partner said softly, “I’ve got tea here for you.”

Reluctantly, Atem forced himself to open his eyes and sit up, wincing a little as his head protested, and met the equally exhausted gaze of his other half. Yugi smiled tiredly, and handed him a mug, the distinctive scent of green tea beginning to permeate the room. They sipped slowly together in silence for a few moments, and Atem felt the strong tea and soothing steam ease his headache just a little. Yugi sighed slightly, his brow smoothing, and Atem could tell that the tea was helping him, too.

“Thanks, partner,” he said, managing a small smile. Yugi smiled back, his expression already more alert than before.

“How’s your head?”

“Still bad,” Atem admitted, “but improving. Yours?”

“Not great, but better,” Yugi replied, setting his cup back down. “Today was _really_ hard; I don’t know how Mokuba was able to learn all this on his own.”

“Kaiba probably taught him first,” yawned Atem. He took another sip and set his own cup down, closing his eyes and massaging his forehead and temples.

He heard Yugi rise and move behind the couch. “Sit up,” he commanded gently, “Let me do that.” Atem was not in any state of mind to argue, so he sat back, leaning his head against the couch again, and felt his partner’s slender fingers start massaging his scalp. It felt _wonderful_ , and he let out a sigh that was part-groan, feeling himself relax.

“How do you do that so well?” he mumbled; Yugi’s fingers seemed to be physically drawing away the pain and fatigue.

“Magic,” Yugi teased, and Atem snorted slightly. “I have to say… as tired as I am, I’m so happy we get to work on this project.”

“Mmm,” Atem agreed. “It’s incredible what we can do already. And Mokuba seemed to like some of your ideas for storylines, too.”

“He _did_ ,” Yugi sounded proud. His fingers briefly dug in a little harder than usual in his excitement, but Atem didn’t mind. Especially when they moved down to the base of his skull; he felt like he was slowly melting right into the couch. “I’m glad we get to build them together, too,” he added, and Atem could only manage a mumbled assent. His headache was mostly gone already; he was still tired, but relaxed and content.

Yugi seemed to notice, and withdrew his hands, coming back around to the couch. This time, however, he curled up next to Atem, resting his head on his shoulder. Atem managed to kick his brain into gear enough to move his arm, wrapping it around his partner. “I should return the favor,” he murmured into his hair, “but I don’t think I can move.”

Yugi chuckled softly. “Mission accomplished, then,” he said. “It’s okay, you can do my head later. It’s getting better anyway.” Atem felt him shift, and his legs came down to rest on Atem’s lap as he snuggled in closer. “For now, you get to be my pillow instead.”

“Such an onerous task,” Atem smiled, which earned him a snort. For a few long, quiet moments, they stayed where they were, just breathing and holding each other. Atem felt the tension in Yugi’s frame relax; his warm weight was a welcome comfort to himself in turn.

“Atem,” came Yugi’s tired sigh after a while, “can I ask you something?”

Atem was close to dozing off, but he mentally pulled himself up for his partner. “Of course,” he murmured.

“Would it be okay if I helped Mokuba create your pharaoh character?”

...Of all the questions Yugi could have asked him, this was _not_ one he had expected. He opened his eyes, blinking in confusion. “Why do you want to do that?”

“Well…” Yugi tensed a little, and Atem looked down at him in concern, though his hair hid his expression. “I’d like it to be close to the real you…”

“And you know me best,” Atem said fondly, but his concern stayed. “But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”

“I guess… this might sound stupid, but… it’d be nice to look at him and be reminded of you as much as possible. Especially once you’re… you know, back in the afterlife.” Yugi’s breath hitched a little.

Atem felt a phantom blow in his heart. He hadn’t… he honestly, truly _hadn’t_ considered the possibility that he’d go back. It had taken Kaiba and his genius technology to manage that trip, and there was no way Kaiba would agree to his return, not with him still out of his mind and hellbent on Atem’s “defeat”. And he’d been away for so long already… he loved and missed his family, and the peace that realm had brought him, but Yugi _was_ his family now.

“Partner…” he managed, and realized he was gripping Yugi harder than necessary. He loosened his arm a little. “You know I can’t–or, that is…Kaiba won’t—”

“But Mokuba thinks he can,” Yugi interrupted quietly. “He...he told me. Today. While you were in the bathroom.”

Atem let out a long breath, staring up at the ceiling. That… changed things. He hadn’t thought Mokuba would be allowed near that dimension shuttle thing; apparently, no one but Kaiba himself was. But if Mokuba’s plan ended up working and Kaiba ended up being ousted…

...But did he _want_ to go back?

Did _Yugi_ want him to go back?

He… wasn’t sure.

“...Do you want me to go back, Yugi?” he said quietly. His emotions were a tangled knot; he had no idea what he was truly feeling.

Yugi sat up and turned so he was looking Atem in the eye. “I don’t know,” he whispered, and his eyes became teary. He reached out a hand and traced Atem’s chin. “I love you,” he said tremulously, “and I want to be with you forever… but… you were kept here against your will; it’s been _months_ and you _deserve_ to be at peace and happy…” his hand dropped to grip his shoulder. “I want you to be _happy_ , my other self. And when Mokuba mentioned to me that he thinks he can figure out how to work that dimension traveling shuttle… I just… I want you to do what makes you happy, and if that means leaving, then… then it means leaving.” He swallowed, and Atem could tell he was fighting tears in earnest.

Atem sat up straighter and pulled Yugi into a tight embrace. His partner shifted so he was actually straddling Atem’s lap now, and gripped him tightly, burying his head into Atem’s neck. His wonderful, brave, selfless partner… Yugi never ceased to amaze him.

“I don’t know what I want to do,” Atem said slowly. “I didn’t think I would be able to, so I never considered it. But I love you, Yugi. You’re my family here. I’m not sorry for the time we’ve had.” A thought occurred to him, and he smiled. “Well... If I do go back… you could always visit, I think.”

“Mokuba thinks…” Yugi’s breath hitched again. “He thinks that he could get you back soon. And then… then he’d—he’d set about destroying the shuttle and burying the Cube, so that Kaiba can’t… can’t try to hurt you again. And I agree, but… but…”

Atem’s heart clenched. “But it means we’re parted for good. Again.” His voice felt rough, breaking a little on the last word. It would be a foolproof, failsafe plan… but it would hurt to be parted from Yugi; even though he knew he could watch over him from that world, it wouldn’t be the same.

Yugi said nothing, just held him tightly, though Atem could feel a couple of tears wetting his neck. His partner had put his own pain, his own fears, aside for him over and over again, and still did so; he would smile through his tears and genuinely wish Atem well if he decided to go, and worry that he was keeping him from his true happiness if he stayed.

Atem decided then and there that the person in his arms needed to come first for once… at least for now. Until he was able to figure out what he truly wanted. Then they’d talk it through.

He _didn’t_ want to make that decision until this was over: Mokuba’s project, his plan to get Kaiba pushed out and kept safely away from those he wanted to hurt… he couldn’t leave now, anyway.

“Let’s not think about this now,” he said finally. “It’s not something we have to decide right this minute, and I don’t know what I would decide anyway. There’s too much that’s still happening, too many things I’d be leaving unresolved if I did go. But Yugi…” he put his hands on Yugi’s shoulders and pushed him gently away so he let go and sat up, looking tearfully at him. “Yugi, don’t think for a moment that I’m not happy with you. It’s very, very touching that you want the option for me to be there… but I don’t want to decide on it now. Once all this is over, we can cross that bridge. Let’s just enjoy our time together as it is, all right?”

He traced his partner’s cheek, his jawline. Yugi’s watery eyes closed at the caress, and Atem could tell he was comforted at least a little. He decided, however, that “a little” was not enough, and pulled his partner to him, capturing his lips in a firm kiss. A bare half second of surprise on Yugi’s part kept him from responding immediately, but then he was kissing him back fiercely. Instead of escalating things, however, he broke away and just _threw_ his arms around Atem, burying his face back into his neck and just _clinging_. Atem held him tightly, knowing it was what he needed… and honestly, it felt _good_ to hold him so close.

“You went through so much,” Yugi finally whispered, his breath tickling his neck a little. “Just… you had to fight so much, and then you were able to rest… but then you came back to help me when Diva was taking over, and then _Kaiba_ … if you wanted to go back right this second, I wouldn’t blame you.”

“I have no regrets, partner,” Atem murmured. “Being with you is worth anything… any struggle, including what Kaiba put me through.” He meant every word, and hoped Yugi could feel it.

HIs partner said nothing. His grip on Atem became, if possible, tighter, his hands clutching the back of his shirt. But Atem felt some of the tension leave his body, felt his tears come faster, a release he clearly needed. So he held his other self, one arm firmly around his waist, the other rubbing his back the way he liked best - a little extra pressure in his fingertips, so it was halfway between a mere backrub and a light massage.

Yugi had been so _strong_ for him; he was always strong in his own gentle way. Atem loved him for it, loved everything about him, and no words could truly convey it properly.

...How could he leave him? Even if… even if he _should?_

He was too tired to puzzle it all out. This wasn’t something he could figure out quickly, anyway.

He listened to Yugi’s quiet sniffles, his breathing. When it started to even out, he said quietly, “Come on, partner… let’s get ourselves to bed.”

“W-we… haven’t even had dinner yet,” came the slightly watery and muffled reply.

“And so? We’re both exhausted. We need the rest.” Atem smiled. “I can carry you if you like.”

“...You’d fall.” Yugi’s voice, while still muffled and shaky, held a tinge of amusement now. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t move?”

“Probably,” agreed Atem amiably. “But it’d be amusing to try.” If he was honest with himself, he probably _was_ far too tired to successfully carry Yugi upstairs to their bedroom, but it was worth suggesting. He could feel Yugi’s smile.

“...I’ll concede going to bed,” his partner mumbled, loosening his grip on Atem and shifting to sit up, “but I will not be responsible for you falling on your ass.” His face was red and blotchy, as it always was after he cried, but the small smile tugging at his lips made him beautiful.

Atem merely chuckled, allowing Yugi to extricate himself and get to his feet before he - rather reluctantly, whatever he’d said to Yugi - did the same. They left their tea on the table, arms around each other, partially for balance as both of them were, indeed, stumbling from exhaustion.

They met Grandpa in the hall. “Oh, boys,” he smiled fondly, “I was wondering if you’d want dinner; I kept it hot for you.”

Atem looked at his partner right as Yugi looked at him. He knew they were both thinking the same thing.

Yugi answered. “Okay… thanks, Grandpa. Dinner… and then bed.”

* * *

Mokuba grinned excitedly to himself, typing furiously on his computer in his home office. He’d always needled Seto about his tendency to work long past normal business hours, but now _he_ was the one working in the evening hours with no intention of stopping anytime soon.

He couldn’t help it, though. He _loved_ what he was doing and didn’t want to stop when he’d made so much progress already.

Yugi and Atem were learning how to manipulate the VR world around them faster than he’d anticipated, which was exciting in and of itself. He’d pushed them a little too far in today’s session by accident, though… They hadn’t minded, but he’d realized too late that they were wearing down fast. They’d all been so focused on what they were doing that they’d lost track of things. Perhaps he’d tell them to take tomorrow off.

He loved working with them, though. The ideas they’d bounced back and forth with him for his storyline, which involved essentially re-telling Atem’s true history, were _excellent_. They were making great progress in mapping out places to plant information, people to duel of varying levels to advance the player forward, and puzzles to solve. Yugi in particular was very adept at seeing how everything fit into the big picture, and Mokuba was not at all surprised when Yugi told him he wanted to develop his own games. Atem, on the other hand, was a strategic genius, and Mokuba was itching to see how he would do creating puzzles for different difficulty levels.

He was excited to see the world they would create, too, once they were able to properly do so on such a large scale. Drawn from Atem’s true memories and Yugi’s memories of the Puzzle’s memory world… it would easily be the most realistic Ancient Egypt setting in any game ever made.

He’d pitched the idea to Seto as though piggybacking on the interest generated from Ishizu’s special exhibit before Battle City, which had depicted an ancient form of dueling. His brother had agreed - and, shockingly, _hadn’t_ mentioned including the former pharaoh he was still fixated on - and let Mokuba get to work on it as his own project.

He could not, of course, ever know that Mokuba was working with the pair he hated most… and attempting to tell the pharaoh’s story, to boot.

Mokuba sat back in his chair, letting his fingers rest, contemplating the ever-present problem of his older sibling and his friends’ safety.

Bringing them to work at the KC tower was a risk, but Mokuba’s small development team was as enthusiastic as he was, and they’d appeared to understand the need for secrecy. One or two had even approached him quietly and asked about Atem’s connection to his brother, whether the rumors were true… and when Mokuba had sighed and nodded, they’d promised to keep their silence without prompting. He appreciated them for it, appreciated his team _in general_ , and their progress in laying the groundwork for the code necessary to drive the game mechanics was going well.

The risk that Seto would discover the full scope of his project, though, was still there. And there was no doubt that he’d go ballistic if he did. Anything that appeared to glorify his rival made him burn even in his saner days; in his current state, he’d either explode… or pounce on Atem before either Mokuba or Yugi could stop him. Or both.

If all went as planned, he wouldn’t even find out until its release, which would happen after Mokuba’s takeover, thus avoiding a public spectacle. He couldn’t trust that everything would go as planned, though.

And Seto would explode for sure if he knew that Mokuba had hacked into his files on the Dimension Shuttle and started piecing together how it functioned.

If his brother had taught him anything, though, it was to prepare for every eventuality. Not only did Atem deserve the chance to return to the afterlife, it might even be necessary if something went wrong and Mokuba’s plans went sideways. Plus, _someone_ would have to help Atem get back, and it definitely wasn’t going to be Seto.

Speaking of Seto… Mokuba sat up straight as he heard muffled footsteps travel down the hall near his door. They hesitated for a moment.

His brother didn’t knock, however, or barge in. The footsteps started up again, going past.

Mokuba frowned slightly, then shrugged to himself; he supposed Seto had thought he didn’t want to be disturbed. He turned back to his screens, then paused… because the footsteps were coming _back_.

...And then they passed his door without pausing.

Thoroughly confused now, Mokuba saved his work and got up, heading to his office door with the intention of opening it and asking Seto whether he was okay.

He stopped before he could turn the handle.

The footsteps were coming back again… and now he could hear that Seto was saying something, mumbling in a soft undertone that made it difficult to make out his exact words. As he passed the door for a third time, they became intelligible.

“...Can’t find him, can’t find them, either one, where is he-where-is-he, the fuck why is he gone I can’t find him, I need to beat him…”

Mokuba sucked in a breath; for a moment, it felt like the office had lost all its air, and he leaned against his office door, closing his eyes and trying to breathe evenly.

Of course… of _course_ Seto couldn’t find Atem. He and Yugi weren’t out and about these days; they were in the KC tower with him. It was imperative that Seto not know this, but… but Mokuba hadn’t considered that their absence from the streets of Domino during work hours would be noticed.

Which was _stupid_ , because hadn’t Seto made a point to stalk them lately?

The footsteps had gone past, paused, and then made their way back again. “...Can’t find them, need to find them, him, find him, he’s mine, I need to finish him, make everything better-make-it-all-better, get out of my head-get-out-where-are-you…”

Yugi and Atem were as safe as they could be when they were working with him; he’d made sure of that... but what if their sudden deviation from their routine caused his brother to start looking for them more closely?

But if he told them to take a day or two off, Seto would inevitably go after them again…

Mokuba clenched his eyes shut in frustration; no matter what he did, he _always_ overlooked something, and this was an impossible situation. And now Seto was wandering the halls of their home _talking to himself_ ; how long had he been doing that? Had he done it at work? Was their company in greater danger of collapsing than Mokuba had thought because of this? He tried not to panic, tried to think things through as the footsteps and rambling passed his door once more.

...He needed to talk to Yugi.

It wasn’t late; if he called soon, he’d probably get at least one of them.

But first… he had to take care of his brother.

He opened his door, and nearly ran right into him, on yet another pass down the hall. “Whoa!” he couldn’t help yelping a little, bringing himself short just in time.

For one terrifying second, it seemed that Seto was in a world of his own, staring blankly into nothing and not registering the new impediment to his path. At Mokuba’s surprised shout, however, he blinked and stared, stopping in his tracks. “...Mokuba?”

His voice sounded strange, almost far away. Mokuba swallowed, searching his brother’s turbulent gaze for something he couldn’t even name. “Yeah,” he finally said. “Sorry, I didn’t—well… what are you doing?”

Seto blinked, looking around as though registering where he was for the first time. His brow furrowed into a look of consternation. “...I’m not sure,” he finally said slowly. “I was thinking…” he trailed off, looking back at Mokuba a little more sharply. “What are _you_ doing?”

“Working on my game storyline,” Mokuba said, trying not to let his nerves show. “I had a good meeting with the developers today, and got a few ideas, so…” he shrugged. “I wanted to get them down before my call with Ishizu tomorrow.” He’d be talking to her about bringing the pharaoh’s story to life, but also to fill in gaps of knowledge so he could flesh out the world and story better. His brother, of course, only knew about the second part.

“Ah, yes,” Seto said, sounding a little more brisk. “Excellent. Do you want me on that call?”

“Oh, no, that’s okay,” Mokuba did his best to smile. “I know what I want to ask her. I know you’re busy.”

“Yes,” his brother said, his tone becoming vague. “Very busy. Finding him… I have to find—have to find him, beat him...” his gaze slid from Mokuba’s, staring into nothing.

Mokuba was truly frightened; this quiet rambling was almost _worse_ than the loud outbursts. “No, that’s… not what I meant,” he said cautiously.

“What?” Seto’s gaze snapped back to his. “Oh. Yes, I’m busy, but if you wanted help, I could rearrange things a little.” For that moment, he was entirely lucid.

“Nah, that’s okay,” Mokuba tried to keep his tone normal. “I’ve got this, I think. But I’ll come to you if I have questions or if I change my mind.”

His brother smiled and ruffled his hair awkwardly. “You’ll be running this company with me in no time, little brother.”

It was a blow to his heart; under normal circumstances, he’d have burst with pride… but not now. Not with Seto like this, practically on the cusp of _needing_ to be pushed aside, his sanity hanging by a thread.

He felt himself get teary-eyed, and smiled to compensate. “Thanks, big brother,” he said softly.

Seto nodded, looking fond, then turned away abruptly, beginning his stride down the hall to his bedroom.

Mokuba went back into his office and closed the door again, breathing hard, willing himself to stay calm. He fumbled his way to his desk and picked up his phone, calling the Game Shop.

“Mutou residence,” Solomon Mutou’s kind tone filtered over the line.

“Hi Mr. Mutou, it’s Mokuba,” he said, trying to calm his nerves and keep his voice low. “Could I talk to Yugi?”

A soft chuckle met his ears. “Not tonight, son,” he said, though his tone was amiable. “You wore both of them out today; they’ve collapsed into bed already.”

Mokuba felt his cheeks get warm with embarrassment; he _really_ must have pushed them too far if they were this tired. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry; they’re both fired up over this project. Doesn’t surprise me at all that they pushed past their limits. Tell me, though, is everything all right?”

He really wanted to explain things to Yugi properly… but if he was already in bed before 9:30 at night, his decision had been made for him. One of them, anyway. “Oh everything’s fine,” he lied. “It’s just that I noticed how tired they were today, and wanted to tell them both to take tomorrow off. It’s not imperative that they come in every day and I don’t want to strain them.” He made himself give a short little laugh. “Seems I made the right call if they’re already in bed.”

“Indeed,” Mr. Mutou said, and Mokuba could hear his kind smile. “Well that’s very kind of you, son; thank you. I’ll write a note for them and let them sleep in tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mr. Mutou,” he said, and hung up after the requisite goodbyes.

He’d send Yugi a text on the burner phone telling him to keep his outings small tomorrow and that he’d explain later.

He sighed, hearing Seto’s footsteps walk past his door yet again, pause, then return. His mumbling had no doubt started back up, too.

This was going to be a long night.


	16. Chapter 16

Atem swallowed nervously, peering into the kitchen from the doorway. Sure enough, Grandpa was making tea, humming to himself, as he always did in the morning.

Taking a breath, Atem walked in. “Um… Grandpa, sir?” he asked awkwardly. He usually didn’t have too many qualms about addressing Yugi’s grandfather as such, and Solomon had said he didn’t mind… but everything about this felt awkward.

He needed some advice, though, and Grandpa could be as wise as he was eccentric.

The older man started in surprise at his question, but smiled amiably as he turned to face him. “You know you can call me Grandpa, Atem. Sit, sit, I’ll get you some tea. Why’re you up so early?” he added, giving him a curious look.

Atem shrugged, doing as he was bid and sitting in an empty chair by the table. “Just woke up early, I suppose,” he said, uncomfortably aware that it was only partially true; he’d intended to be up early _specifically_ so he could talk to him. “Yugi’s still sleeping, though; I didn’t wake him when I saw your note.”

“Of course he is,” Grandpa chuckled. “That one never gets up early if he doesn’t have to.” Atem smiled his agreement - and his thanks as a cup of hot tea was placed in front of him. Then the older man sat down near him and scrutinized him sharply… though not unkindly. “You usually wait for him, though. Something on your mind?”

It figured that he’d be seen through so quickly. “I, um… well, I was wondering if…” he stumbled, flushing at his own awkwardness. “I’d just… like a little advice, if—if that’s all right,” he finally mumbled, staring at his steaming tea.

Grandpa sipped his tea for a moment. “Well, if it has anything to do with ancient magic or that dimension-skipping doohickey… I can’t help,” he said, though his eyes twinkled. “That’s all way over my poor head.”

Atem smiled in spite of his nerves. He really was fond of the older man; he’d accepted his arrival extraordinarily well and had supported him during his recovery as kindly as his partner. “Well, it sort of involves the dimension-skipping doohickey,” he admitted, then felt his smile slip away as he decided to get to the point. “Mokuba thinks he can figure out how it works on his own. He told Yugi the other day; he even said it might not take long. And once he gets me back over, he’d have the thing dismantled and the portal Cube buried or hidden, so that Kaiba can’t… well… try to get to me again,” he finished in a slight rush, gripping his cup a little as a tiny spark of anxiety made itself known. He glanced up at his elder, and saw both kindly concern and dawning comprehension. He looked back at his tea. “The problem…” he hesitated, trailing off, not entirely sure how to continue.

A long sigh met his ears and he looked back up to see Grandpa regarding him with a sad understanding. “You aren’t sure if you want to return,” he said gently.

Atem nodded, but felt he had to clarify. “I didn’t think I’d _be able_ to return,” he said quietly. “It requires traveling in that shuttle between dimensions, and only Kaiba knows how that works—”

Grandpa interrupted with a snort, a flash of anger briefly twisting his features. “And that young man has no intention of making that trip.”

“Yes,” Atem sighed. He opened his mouth to continue, but his elder interrupted again.

“Son… Yugi wouldn’t really say when I asked; it seemed to upset him…” Atem swallowed hard, tensing; he knew what was coming. “What does Kaiba really want with you, that he’s keeping you here like this?”

He owed it to him, this kind-hearted, generous man who had let him stay far beyond the bounds of a normal visit. He owed him honesty… but even though the look he was giving him was only concerned curiosity, he felt he couldn’t meet his eyes.

“He wants to defeat me, because he never could and never has,” he said quietly, closing his eyes and keeping his voice low so it wouldn’t shake. “But his definition of it has… warped. It’s not a victory in dueling he wants anymore; he wants…” he cut himself off as a flash of Kaiba’s deranged gaze boring into his own by the river flew through his mind. He made himself take a breath, clutching his teacup. “He wants to break me. He as good as said right out that if he had his way… I’d never have left that… that room of his. Ever. It’d be… everything he did. Over and over. But always...always keeping me alive. He said… he said it can’t be victory if I’m dead… or if it ends.”

His tone had degenerated into a ragged half-whisper; images flashed across his mind all over again, and while he was able to push them back, he found himself trembling slightly, his mouth dry from anxiety. He forced himself to open his eyes and take a sip of his tea. The hot drink soothed him a little, and he took another.

Grandpa said nothing for a good moment or two, and Atem felt himself flush slightly under his gaze. He still couldn’t bring himself to look the older man in the eye.

“Good lord…” he finally said, and his voice was a little rough. Atem looked up in alarm, hoping he hadn’t upset or angered him… and felt guilt flash through him when saw there were tears in his eyes. “You know all this, know how terribly crazy he is… and you’re still heading to that tower with Yugi to help his brother.”

Atem felt himself truly flush in embarrassment now, feeling admonished, and he hastened to ease his elder’s concern; why hadn’t he thought to tell him of their precautions? “Mokuba isn’t at all like his brother; he’s been helping us avoid him all this time. He’s made sure we have people protecting us when we’re there and keeping an eye on Kaiba; I promise Yugi isn’t in danger…” he was rambling, he knew, but he couldn’t stop himself; the need to _explain_ _himself_ was overwhelming.

“No, no, Atem, you misunderstand,” Grandpa smiled slightly, raising a placating hand. “I appreciate that information… but I am rather astounded that you’re not afraid.”

Atem shook his head. “I am afraid,” he admitted. “But I can’t keep running forever… and I am getting better at controlling the fear. And, well…. up until now, I thought that my _only_ option was to get back on my feet and fight back.”

“Ah, yes,” Grandpa nodded, looking thoughtful. “And now you have a way out.”

“I wouldn’t consider leaving until this business with Mokuba is wrapped up; I wouldn’t want to leave him or Yugi in danger of retaliation,” Atem frowned, feeling his thoughts returning to his original points. “But once it is… yes, I have that option. But…”

“But you’re not sure whether you should take it,” the older man nodded. “Why?”

Atem knew, this time, that the question was not an admonishment. “Well, despite everything… I’m happy here. Living here, with you and Yugi… is nice. And Yugi… Yugi’s happy with me, he says,” he could feel even his _ears_ tingling with heat, “and I’m happy with him… but my family is _there_ ,” he gestured vaguely, “And the peace there is… truly wonderful… but Yugi is my family, too. And you, sir,” he added quickly, which made his elder laugh.

“Oh I’m old, son, but I’m not blind… or deaf, for that matter,” he grinned, and Atem choked on his tea mid-sip, which just made his grin widen. “You two love each other in a way that’s rare these days; anyone can see that. I’ve never seen Yugi so happy as when he’s nestled next to you.”

Deciding to _not_ address the point of his hearing—they really did try to keep their love-making quiet, _really_ —Atem said, “Yes… and I’m happiest with him. He is… everything to me.” Admitting this was far less embarrassing than discussing… that other matter. “And that’s—that’s the problem,” he sighed. “I don’t want to leave _him_ , at least not permanently, even though finding my way here with no true identity would be difficult… and I don’t want to break his heart, and I _know_ leaving would break his heart even if he pretended otherwise. But… this was a chance I never should have had in the first place. We’d made our peace with separating before, but now…” he shook his head dejectedly, not sure what else he could say.

“That’s a conundrum,” the older man said, sympathy written all over his face. “Most folks don’t have the luxury of choosing their departure, but you do… and it’s more of a burden.” Atem just nodded; his throat was constricting. “I can’t make this decision for you… but I can tell you a few things. One, is that should you cross back over, I know both of you will find peace eventually. You are both strong young men with open hearts… and you would both be able to move on with time. For another, I do not find it impossible that you’d find your way back together at some point, either.” His smile was fond, and Atem found himself smiling back even as his eyes grew misty. “And on a different note… should you decide to stay, you have a home here.”

He reached out and took one of Atem’s hands in his own; Atem felt any words he’d intended sputter out before he could even open his mouth. “I may not have known you as your own person for more than a few months, but I remember you when you were Yugi’s other self. You saved my soul, and his… you protected him and helped him grow. Even if I didn’t fully understand who you were for a good while… whether you fell in love with my grandson or not, you’re family, my boy, and I’m glad of it.”

Atem’s jaw had dropped while he was speaking and he felt the emotion in him threaten to overwhelm everything else. He’d—he’d felt that Yugi was family, and loved Grandpa as family partially because Yugi did, but this acceptance from his grandfather meant… so much. “So much of what I had to protect him from was my own fault,” he managed to choke out, feeling the need to confess. “People who wanted the Puzzle or power or revenge… you and Yugi got dragged into it all because of me.”

“I know that, son,” Grandpa said soothingly, patting his hand. “I knew the legends of the Millennium Puzzle when I went looking for it; I tried to solve it myself, you know. But it isn’t all your doing; you woke with no idea of who or what you were, and had to react as other things woke around you. And you always fought for us, even if you were uncertain or made mistakes. And Yugi...” he paused thoughtfully; Atem was struggling to keep his composure but he managed to meet his eye. “Do you know much of what Yugi used to be like before he met you?”

“Some,” Atem managed to say, though his voice was rough. He cleared his throat. “Yugi willingly shared everything he could remember with me, when I realized that I was _not_ a part of him but had no memories of my own.” He was emotional enough already, and finally felt a couple of tears break free despite his best efforts. He hurriedly wiped them away.

“That’s my grandson for you,” Grandpa’s voice was fond, but grew solemn as he continued. “Then you know how lonely he was. Only Téa for company; the small are always the easiest targets. So little confidence in his own abilities, even though anyone who looked could see how smart he was, how he could solve any puzzle or figure out any game.” Atem nodded, closing his eyes. He’d hated those memories; Yugi’s acceptance of himself as weak and strange and _never good enough_ as though it was solid _fact_ had made Atem burn inside. “You helped him find his strength, and now he’s a gaming champion with friends as close as family. _And_ he’s given you his heart and you cherish it. Just for _that_ last one… you’re family. You know I’m very fond of—here, now, what’s this?”

Atem had finally lost his composure entirely, tears sliding down his face. He gripped his teacup, trying to stay grounded… but somehow, the fact that Solomon Mutou had seen him as kin, had accepted him so readily and was offering him a permanent home, despite _everything_ … it overwhelmed him. He was happy and sad and moved all at once… he couldn’t even describe it to himself.

“S-sorry,” he managed, sniffling, “it—it just… means a lot.”

He heard the quiet scrape of Grandpa’s chair, heard the slow rustling as the older man rose… and then he stiffened in surprise, because gentle arms were encircling him in an embrace that felt comforting and… _parental_. He relinquished his grip on his cup and hugged back so instinctively that he almost didn’t register it happening, and let himself cry.

He pulled himself together after a mere few moments, and managed to grab a napkin to wipe his face and blow his nose. Grandpa kept an arm around him as he did so.

“Sometimes I forget you’re truly a young man,” he sighed. “Far too young to have had to shoulder the weight of the world, much less more than once.”

Atem couldn’t help a small smile. “Sometimes I forget I’m ancient,” he mumbled, “and sometimes I forget I’m young. But I’m both.”

“Can’t say I know the feeling,” Grandpa quipped, and Atem felt his smile grow and the tension in him ease. “There now, that’s better. Why don’t you help me make breakfast? If the young part of you remembers how to use a stove, that is…”

Atem looked up at Grandpa’s - _his_ grandpa’s - teasing expression, quirking an eyebrow. “I remember what Yugi remembers…” he said dryly, knowing what his reaction would be.

Sure enough, the older man burst into laughter. “Oh ho, we’re doomed, then,” he chuckled. “Come, now, I’ll show you how it’s _really_ done.”

Atem paid close attention, following his elder’s instructions. He realized that while this conversation hadn’t made his mind up either way—if anything, it had made it _harder_ to decide what to do—he still felt more at ease, more comfortable.

He was home.


	17. Chapter 17

“Yugi…”

“Five more minutes,” Yugi mumbled immediately, and Atem grinned in amusement.

“It’s getting late, partner,” he chided, though there was no weight in his words.

“I know,” Yugi whined, looking up from his notes, “but this is so _interesting._ ” He pouted slightly, though it did not disguise the avid interest written all over his face. “Five more minutes,” he repeated plaintively.

Atem laughed, perching on the edge of the desk. In truth, he loved seeing Yugi so rapt, and hearing him talk about some aspect of all this that fascinated him. But it _was_ getting late. “And when you’re too tired to put all this to practical use because you’ve been up too late reading? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so intent on _studying_ before.” His amusement deepened as Yugi scrunched up his face in protest.

“It isn’t studying if I _like it_ ,” his partner sniffed. “But come on, Atem, you’ve seen some of this; how they made all this work and how it connects to the brain is just _fascinating_ , and I think it’s helping me understand how to do this better.”

“Honestly, I don’t know how that isn’t giving you a headache,” Atem admitted, squinting at the thick binder of notes containing all the discoveries and engineering that went into KaibaCorp’s VR system. “I can understand some of it, but only after I read it twice.”

Yugi’s face melted into a teasing smile. “Oh my, a puzzle that the King of Games can’t figure out? No wonder you’ve been dethroned.”

“First of all,” Atem glowered in mock offense, and Yugi’s grin widened mischievously, “I can figure that out just fine; it just takes time.” And he did not find it nearly as enthralling as Yugi did. “Second of all, that is not a _puzzle,_ it is pure _confusion_.” He pointed at the binder. “Third of all, I’ll have _you_ know that I can still defeat you _anytime_ ,” he smirked, tapping his partner’s nose, “And fourth, I’m a _game_ king, not a _game engineering_ king.”

Yugi’s eyebrows rose. “Oh _really_ , now?” He drawled, leaning back in his chair. “You can defeat me _anytime_ , you say?” He smiled coyly up at Atem, his eyes half-lidded.

Atem fought the urge to swallow hard; that look on his partner’s face went straight to his groin, and Yugi knew it. He leaned in closer so their noses nearly touched.

“Anytime,” he repeated, leveling his own confident smirk back at his partner, and felt entirely vindicated when he blushed furiously. Yugi knew how to push his buttons… but he knew how to push _Yugi’s_ , too. “Care to test me?”

“I never back down from a challenge,” Yugi murmured, his eyes flashing. Gods, his partner was _wonderful_.

“Neither do I,” purred Atem, and captured Yugi’s lips in a kiss that quickly became heated and more than a little sloppy. He felt his desire for his partner rise like a wave, but he reined it in, rode it, did not let it command him.

He had a very specific goal in mind, after all.

He slid off the desk onto Yugi’s lap, pushing his chair back a little to make room. Yugi grunted a little in surprise at the sudden weight, and Atem took the opportunity to kiss his jawline, his neck, just behind his ear. Yugi’s hands were sliding up the back of his shirt, gripping at his hips, his shoulders, and his fingers dug in a little as he gasped when Atem hit a sweet spot on his neck.

“First rule,” Atem murmured into his ear, “never let _me_ make the first move if you want to win.”

“Who–who says… you’ll win,” Yugi half-gasped, half-moaned under him. His desire was pounding through him and he could feel Yugi growing as ready as he was.

Atem pulled back, looking with absolute delight at his partner’s flushed face, deliciously disheveled. Yugi smiled when he caught his gaze, but then pouted.

And then Atem grinned wickedly. “I say,” he said simply, and grabbed the nearest phone off the desk, holding it up, showing Yugi the time. “It’s been five minutes.”

Yugi’s face showed utter incomprehension for a split second, before his expression became a mix of amusement and outrage. “YOU—” he spluttered indignantly, though his incredulous laugh ruined the effect. “You _cheater_.”

“All’s fair in love and war, partner,” Atem said sweetly, fighting the urge to laugh.

“Cheater,” Yugi insisted stoutly, glowering up at him. “Asshole.”

“Rogue,” Atem supplied cheerfully, “Scoundrel.” He kissed his partner’s nose, and Yugi wrinkled it in protest. The effect was ridiculously cute. “And _winner_ ,” he finished triumphantly.

“I’ll remember this,” Yugi warned, “You’ll get payback for this, you just wait.” His threat did not mask his mirth, and Atem let himself laugh freely now that his partner had admitted defeat. After a moment, Yugi’s mask cracked and he laughed too.

“So,” Atem grinned, rising off his partner’s lap. “Time for bed?”

Yugi stuck his tongue out at him, but rose… and promptly tackled him so that they fell onto their bed together.

“Good answer,” Atem wheezed, and Yugi laughed.

They ended up going to sleep much later than originally planned.

* * *

“I’m _trying_ ,” Atem growled in frustration, thoroughly annoyed at himself.

His partner’s muffled giggles did not help his mood, for once. “I know, I’m sorry… but Atem… look down.”

Atem looked down… and saw that his clothing was nonexistent, save for his briefs. He _immediately_ flushed bright red, and his clothing returned.

So much for his umpteenth attempt to recreate his Pharaoh’s garments.

This was not the first time that a stray thought - _It’d be easier to just go without anything, wouldn’t it -_ had affected the virtual reality around him, now that he was able to create things on his own. That fact made him even more disgruntled.

Mokuba was valiantly attempting to keep a straight face but was failing. Yugi, however, still giggling, walked up to Atem and wrapped his arms around him in a conciliatory hug. “Hey, nothing I haven’t seen before,” he murmured into his ear, and in spite of himself, Atem snorted in amusement, hugging back briefly before disentangling himself.

“Sorry,” he said to the younger Kaiba, who promptly burst out laughing for a moment before pulling himself under control.

“It’s okay!” Mokuba grinned. “I’ve just never seen you _struggle_ with something so much before. Thank you for having the presence of mind to not rid yourself of your underwear, by the way.”

Atem just groaned and brought a hand to cover his eyes, and Mokuba laughed harder.

A thoughtful hum from Yugi, however, caused him to look at his partner, who was frowning slightly at him in contemplation. “I wonder,” Yugi said slowly… and said nothing else for a moment.

“Yugi?” Atem prompted, and Yugi blinked.

“Right… I wonder if you’re having so much trouble with this because you don’t actually know what you really looked like.”

Atem opened his mouth to deny it, but then stopped and thought for a moment. “Hm,” he mused. “I’m… not sure. I remember how it _feels_ to wear it…” The weight of the circlet on his brow, the gold around his neck and on his arms, the cape fastened to his shoulders, pulling slightly as it billowed… but he couldn’t quite _visualize_ it all properly. “I think you may be right, partner,” he admitted.

Yugi nodded thoughtfully. “And I do remember what it looked like, but it might not necessarily be accurate, or…. or….” he trailed off and an expression of sudden comprehension flashed before he buried his face in his hands. “Oh my _god_ ,” he groaned. “We’re such _idiots_.”

Both Mokuba and Atem looked at him in puzzlement. “What?”

“Ateeeeeeem,” Yugi nearly whined, face still hidden, “we HAVE THEM.” He dropped his hands and laughed incredulously. “WE HAVE YOUR GARMENTS. YOU CAME HERE IN THEM.”

Atem suddenly felt _very_ stupid. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “...Of course I did,” he groaned. “They’re still in the suitcase under your bed, right?”

“Yeeeeeep,” Yugi sighed. “Wow. We’re… really stupid.”

Mokuba laughed, shaking his head. “The master strategists, Kings of Games, are both trying to figure this out, and _both of you_ forgot about this.”

“I have… absolutely no rebuttal to that.” Atem gave a self-deprecating grin, and saw his partner doing the same.

“Okay, new plan,” Mokuba smirked a little. “You come here tomorrow or the day after with your pharaoh regalia; once you have it on in real life, you should be able to come in here with it on because your mind tends to just create what you were wearing when you get here. We’ll duplicate it and save it. Problem solved.”

Atem nodded. “Good plan.”

“Better than us muddling along, for sure,” Yugi sighed. His cheeks were bright pink from embarrassment.

“How about your city and your palace, Atem?” Mokuba walked up to him. “Think you can recreate some of that? It’s big, though, so if you don’t think you can handle that yet, that’s okay.”

His palace, his city… this, he knew he could do. Deep within himself, he felt like he had not just committed the pathways of his ancient home not just to memory, but etched them into his very soul.

He smiled. “I think I can do that.”

“Okay, then… travel time.” Mokuba closed his eyes and made a small gesture, and the environment around them blurred and whisked away, replaced with a wide expanse of desert. The sun did not shine with heat, but was bright and at high noon.

“I remember some of the city,” Yugi offered a little hesitantly, and Atem smiled at him. “And the enormous castle walls.”

“That’s helpful,” Atem assured him. “Especially since you’re quicker with creating than I am.”

“Let’s start with that, then,” Mokuba said, stepping back a pace to give them room. “I’ll hang back, but if you get stuck I’ll be able to get you out, no problem.”

“Thanks, Mokuba,” Atem said gratefully, and heard Yugi murmuring the same.

His partner stepped forward and closed his eyes. “The castle walls…” he said softly, trailing off. He took another step, and another, and as he did so, pixelated sand shifted and began to build itself up in front of them. The walls enclosing the palace courtyard grew into life, towering over their heads.

Yugi stopped walking and reached out a hand, just as the great gates formed themselves, finalizing the mammoth structure. His hand touched the wall, and he murmured something unintelligible.

“Yugi?” Atem said quietly, not wanting to break his concentration, but also wondering what he was doing.

Yugi shifted, seeming to come back to himself. He stepped back from his creation and turned to face them. “Sorry,” he said, smiling a little sadly. “Lost in a memory I guess.” He blinked, then looked back at the imposing edifice in front of them. “Does this match what you know, Atem?”

Atem made a mental note to ask him about the memory later. He scrutinized Yugi’s creation, noting a couple of details that were off.

Mokuba interrupted. “Yugi, save it so Atem can edit it.”

“Oh right,” Yugi nodded, and a faint wash of pixels briefly swept over the wall before disappearing. “Okay, Atem, you can change this now, if you like.”

This was always difficult, reaching for something already created and changing it. He frowned, concentrating, and firmly fixed the details of the thick wooden gates that Yugi had missed into his mind. As he stared, the doors shifted slightly… and the details came into place in front of him.

“Great!” Mokuba cheered. “Save it just in case, remember!”

He closed his eyes and mentally told the system to save his changes. A quiet ding sounded in his ear, one that only he could hear, which told him the save was successful.

“Nicely done,” Yugi smiled when he opened his eyes, “It’s coming easier to you now.”

“And gives me less of a headache,” he added, smiling back. “Whew.”

He turned to the gates. “Let’s go in, shall we?”

The gates opened for him, and he strode in…

Into nothing but sand. Of course. Nothing else had been created yet.

He closed his eyes, and _remembered_. He _knew_ this place now, knew it innately down to his core. He knew the exact number of paces it took to get from the gates to the grand entrance to his palace. He began to walk, opening his eyes, and seeing the pixels fly up around him. It was dizzying, and hurt his head, so he closed his eyes again and just… let his thoughts flow, visualizing it all.

This many steps inside, just so. Step up three, walk three, step up another three. The palace’s magnificent entrance dwarfed all who entered and immediately provided relief from the heat and bright sun; the columns were carved and painted beautifully.

He walked, seeing it all in his mind, his cherished memory, and felt that he was truly there. The servants who went about their tasks and bowed to him as he passed, the bustle of a large household at work.

Down this corridor. Turn here, just so. Walk just this far. Turn onto the main hallway to the throne room; a broader thoroughfare to accommodate the crowds that often gathered within.

Within…

He entered his throne room in its enormous splendor; the exquisitely carved columns and painted walls, the strategically placed light sources and sconces… and his throne.

He stopped, facing it. He realized his head was hurting, and opened his eyes.

And there it was.

The whole room, exactly as he pictured it, knew it, felt it. His throne on its dais, where he had spent such a short time in his past life, but meant so much to him.

He breathed in, and let out a sigh… and felt himself relax.

He was home. This… _this_ was home.

“...Atem,” Yugi’s voice was soft, almost awed. He turned, and saw his partner, gazing at him with a strange mix of emotions on his face. When their eyes met, Yugi blinked, and smiled. “Look at yourself,” he said, still softly, and a full length mirror built itself in front of him - Yugi’s creation, not his.

And Atem looked into it… and saw himself, dressed as Pharaoh.

He stared. Yugi had been right… he _hadn’t_ truly seen himself, in the world of memories or the afterlife. In the Memory World, he was thrown into chaos and had to fight almost constantly; there was no time to even think about what he was wearing. In the dimension of the afterlife… there just never seemed to be a cause for it. It didn’t really matter, after all, though he did have an amusing thought of what his family’s reaction would be if he went back to them dressed in his modern-day clothing.

He looked down… and then groaned, because his modern clothing was appearing without him consciously telling it to. He tried to pull it back, to reverse it… but it was no use.

“Damn,” he grunted, glowering at his jeans.

“That was _incredible_.” Mokuba stared at him, then looked all around, mouth agape. “Atem, this is _incredible_. The detail, the decorations… it’s stunning. I can’t believe you were able to create all of this so _fast_.”

He smiled in spite of himself, and shrugged. “It’s my home,” he said. “And after so long of not remembering any of it… I made sure to remember it well once I got all that back.”

Mokuba nodded almost absently. “Memory… you’re not creating something from just imagination, so it might be easier.” He was still gazing around in awe, and walked up to a nearby column to touch it. “Wow. You’ve got the texture, too.” He looked back at Atem excitedly. “This is going to blow everyone’s _minds_.”

“I should probably save it to the system,” Atem said, smiling proudly. He did so, and realized his head was starting to hurt a little worse.

“Oh my god, if you _didn’t_ …” Mokuba sounded almost scandalized, and Atem laughed.

“I just did, don’t worry.”

“Whew.”

Atem turned to Yugi… and realized his partner was uncharacteristically silent. He was looking at him, biting his lip a little, and his expression was… sad.

And then Atem realized what he’d said. _“It’s my home.”_ He felt his chest tighten.

It was true. This _was_ his home and it _felt_ like home.

But Yugi and Grandpa and the Kame Game shop… they were home, too.

Yugi caught his gaze and they looked at each other for a long moment; his partner blinked and looked more thoughtful… and then he sighed a little and brightened. Atem could practically _see_ him pushing things out of his mind for the time being.

“Did you create the whole thing, or just this part, do you think?” He asked.

Atem thought for a moment before answering. “Just this part, I think,” he said honestly. “I was concentrating on exactly what it looked like to walk here, not anywhere else. I think I’d have to walk it all the way I did just now to get it right.”

“Could you do some of that now?” Mokuba chimed in eagerly.

Yugi, however, gave him a searching look. “How’s your head?” he asked, the crucial question.

“Not so good,” Atem admitted. “I could probably do a little more, but—”

“Nope,” Mokuba interrupted. “Not if your head’s hurting. That took a LOT of energy and concentration to do, even if you don’t feel the full effects yet.”

“The resident expert has spoken,” Yugi smiled playfully, but there was concern in his eyes.

“Why don’t we take a break?” Mokuba suggested. “Take 20 minutes or so to rest, get water, whatever, and then we can work on the storyline and quests instead of coming back here.”

Yugi nodded, and Atem sighed in slight relief. “All right. I could use some real-world time,” he said. “It’ll be nice to be in a place where my clothes stay as they are,” he added sardonically, and both Yugi and Mokuba laughed.

“Okay, then, see you on the other side,” the younger Kaiba said.

In quick succession, they each called up the logout screen for themselves. Mokuba disappeared first. Atem gave the mental command and saw Yugi disappear right before the world in front of him dissolved into a mass of pixels, fading into the vast chamber that was their testing facility. He blinked, taking off the headset that connected his brain to the virtual network, adjusting to the industrial light and hardware surrounding them.

Yugi and Mokuba were right where he expected them to be, standing the same distance away from him as they had in virtual reality. That was something they were going to test later on; including vast worlds for RPGs made it impractical to simply build arenas large enough to hold them, but it wasn’t yet confirmed how well the brain would react if the physical body was in a chair but the VR body was up and walking in a world this immersive. Additionally, the danger of them physically moving around and bumping into something that existed in reality but not in VR was a concern as well.

But that was far down the line from where they were now.

He looked over to see Yugi removing his headset and giving his head a vigorous shake. Mokuba was already keying in the passcode to put the system into standby mode and open the doors.

“I dunno about you guys,” he called, “but I’m hungry. There’s snacks in the control room!”

“I need the restroom,” Yugi smiled, “but I’ll be up there after.”

“Agreed,” Atem nodded, and Mokuba gave them a salute and took off.

He and Yugi walked together, slowly, towards the bathrooms. His head was hurting more insistently now, and he reached up to massage his temple before fully realizing he was doing it.

“Head getting bad?” Yugi looked at him sympathetically. Atem nodded. “Food will help that a little,” he said, wrapping an arm around Atem’s shoulders.

Atem smiled, leaning into Yugi slightly as he slung an arm around his partner’s shoulders in turn. But then he remembered Yugi’s expression in his virtual throne room, and knew now was as good a time as any to bring it up.

“Yugi,” he said quietly. “About what I said in the throne room there…”

“It’s all right,” Yugi said quickly. A little _too_ quickly. Atem was not fooled.

“Don’t push your feelings away like that, partner,” he said quietly, gently, and saw Yugi flush slightly. “They matter. And before you say anything else,” he added quickly, “I want to tell you that while it is true that my home is in the afterlife… it is also true that my home is with you.” Yugi stopped walking and pulled away a little, just so he could turn and look Atem full in the face, his gaze direct but uncertain. Atem reached out and grasped his hand. “That’s what makes my decision so difficult,” he said softly. “My home is in two places at once.”

Yugi said nothing, but smiled tremulously, and he pulled Atem sharply into a tight embrace that Atem returned with equal fervor.

“Never doubt that my heart belongs to you, partner,” he murmured softly.

“And mine belongs to you,” Yugi whispered. “I want you to be happy, my other self.”

“And I do not want to break your heart,” Atem swallowed, feeling a lump rising in his throat. “But I don’t want to abandon my family after it took so long to find them, either. I just… don’t know.”

“I know,” Yugi sighed softly. “I don’t know what to tell you, my other self. I’m conflicted, too.”

Atem pulled out of the embrace and grasped Yugi’s shoulders. Yugi’s eyes were bright with unshed tears. “We have time,” Atem said softly, and smiled a little, trying to encourage his other half. “We didn’t have that luxury last time. This time, we do. Let’s use it, all right? We’ll cross this bridge when we have to, not before.”

Yugi blinked, and two solitary tears fell, but no others followed. Atem reached up to brush them away, and Yugi smiled, a beautiful smile still tinged with sadness that struck a blow in Atem’s heart.

His partner took a deep breath, and seemed to relax a little. “Thanks, other self,” he said quietly. “I needed to hear that.”

They resumed their trek to the bathroom; this time, it was Atem who reached out first, wrapping his arm around his partner’s waist.

He truly felt divided in two, no matter how he thought about it. He hadn’t truly realized until he’d created his palace, but there _was_ a deep longing in him to return to it, a sense of _belonging_ when he looked around, even though the visuals were virtual.

And yet… he was accustomed to the world in which Yugi lived. He sometimes felt out of place in it… but with Yugi, he felt the same sense of _belonging_ , of comfort. Facing the world together, their lives together… just felt _right_.

But his ancient family, his ancient friends, finally gathered together with him, contented and still able to look upon those they cared about in this world… that felt right, too.

It was not helping his aching head to dwell on it right that moment, however, and he pushed the conundrum to the back of his mind for later scrutiny.

For now… there was the virtual world to build. And Yugi by his side.

For now, that was enough.


	18. Chapter 18

In the restroom near the VR arena, Yugi watched his other half change into the majestic garments he wore as Pharaoh, wanting to help but unsure how to do so.

Atem, however, seemed to be having no trouble getting it all on, moving slowly and carefully to ensure nothing tore or caught. He moved with ease, smiling a little as he did so, and Yugi found himself leaning back and just… appreciating him. This outfit _did_ give him a rather excellent view of his biceps, after all. And his calves.

It suited him well _in general_ , setting off his deep skin, emphasizing his muscle tone, and flat-out adding to the commanding aura he would naturally slip into in public. Even peering into the mirror and adjusting his circlet, he was regal. He was _magnificent_.

“Sorry this is taking so long, partner,” Atem smiled apologetically at him in the mirror, “I always had people doing this for me.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I am _not_ bored,” Yugi grinned. “It hasn’t actually been that long anyway.” Atem quirked a quizzical eyebrow at him, and Yugi smirked in response. “The view is excellent back here, just so you know.”

His other self flushed and then chuckled. He got the circlet sitting on his brow properly, and turned. “So, how’s _this_ view?” He smirked back at Yugi, who promptly made a big show of looking him up and down.

“Even better,” he said, and Atem laughed again.

“Why, thank you,” he said grandly, then his amusement turned a little uncertain. “Really, though, Yugi, what do you think? Be honest.”

“I think I want you to wear that to bed tonight,” Yugi replied at once, and Atem practically _choked_ as he spluttered and turned a rather lovely shade of crimson.

 _“Yugi,”_ he said, looking torn between amusement and shock.

“You said be honest!” Yugi put on his most innocent look, though he was fighting laughter. “So I was honest.”

“Do you really think this would be comfortable to wear to bed?” Atem fixed him with a look that was both mirthful and sardonic.

Yugi pretended to consider for a moment. “Okay then, just the cape and gold. Easy access everywhere else.”

Atem’s face, if possible, reddened _further_ , and he covered his face with his hands. “Yugiiiiii,” he groaned.

“It’d be _hot_.” He was actually getting a little warm; he enjoyed teasing Atem, but he really _did_ like the idea of his other self wearing his regalia to bed.

“I–Yugi— _that was not what I was asking_ ,” Atem stumbled, and Yugi finally took pity on him.

“Okay, okay,” he raised his hands in surrender, and Atem dropped his hands to look at him suspiciously. “You look fantastic, Atem. Really.”

His other half smiled, relaxing. “Thank you. All right then, let’s go.”

They headed down the hall together, and Yugi couldn’t resist needling him one more time.

“It’d still be hot,” he whispered, leaning in.

 _“Yugi Mutou_ ,” Atem hissed.

“Let me kneel before my pharaoh, other self,” he intoned coquettishly, grinning in spite of himself.

“Yugi, it _isn’t easy to conceal a boner in this,_ ” Atem groaned, sounding equal parts exasperated and aroused. “We can talk about this _later_.”

Yugi giggled. “Okay, sorry.”

Atem looked askance at him. “No, you’re not.”

“I am a _little_.” Yugi pouted at him.

Atem gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “You’re evil.”

“Yep,” Yugi agreed cheerfully, and their banter stopped there, for they’d reached the entrance to the VR arena.

They entered to find not just Mokuba, but the development team they were working with waiting for them. They all looked rather excited.

Mokuba spotted them first. “Wow!” He grinned and strode up to them immediately. “This is even cooler in real life! You look amazing!”

“Thank you,” Atem said, smiling, striding forward to meet him in turn.

“Some of the developers and engineers wanted to see you and the robes and such up close,” Mokuba said. “Do you mind?”

Atem blinked in surprise, but nodded. “Not at all.” They crowded around him, but kept a respectful distance, asking questions about the fabric, how it was made, how the gold was made, and Atem was able to answer them all.

Yugi smiled to himself, seeing his other self fall into the charismatic grace of the ruler he truly was, the King of Games before he himself took the title. While his ancient garb looked decidedly out of place against the industrial setting, it suited him beautifully.

He felt a tug at his heart, however, and tried to push it to the back of his mind… but with his partner right there, dressed like that, it was hard to ignore.

Atem had looked so _comfortable_ , so relaxed when he’d opened his eyes and stood amidst his virtual creations. Yugi had been astounded and awed, seeing the palace build itself around him, seeing the clothes he wore change as he strode to his throne.

A king. A _true_ king.

A king who belonged in his kingdom, who had been absent for too long.

A large part of Yugi cried out against it, and wanted to push it all away, to run over and hold Atem and _not let go._ But as certainly and deeply as he had known his other self would have to leave someday, when they were still uncovering the mystery of his identity… he felt that same deep sense now, that Atem really, truly should return.

But like he’d said... they had time.

So he pushed it to the back of his mind, and joined the small crowd, accepting the headset when Mokuba handed it to him.

They had a game to create, after all.

* * *

“There we go!” Atem smiled, both in relief and pride, saving the final creation of his robes. “All set.”

“Great job!” his partner enthused, smiling. “And you kept your own on too,” he added impishly. Atem shot him a look; Yugi’s comments about wanting to bring him to bed in his current raiment had not entirely left his head… or elsewhere. Yugi grinned at him when he caught it but understanding flashed in his eyes.

Mokuba snorted but smiled. “Want to try it on the AI model?”

Atem hesitated. Looking at himself in virtual form… would probably be very weird. Seeing the “old” version of himself that Kaiba had created was strange enough.

“If you’d rather not, I can handle it when you’re taking a break without me,” Yugi offered.

“Seeing yourself in virtual form is always weird,” Mokuba added. “Seeing two of Seto when he was creating his virtual double as a test case was a brain-bender. So I get it if you don’t want to.” He looked just a touch disappointed, though… and Atem made up his mind.

“It’ll be weird, but let’s do it,” he said. “If I decide I’m not comfortable with it, you can take over going forward, Yugi.” Mokuba brightened and Yugi nodded, smiling in understanding.

“Okay! Let’s see…” Mokuba closed his eyes and after a moment… pixels began to accumulate next to him, and Atem saw a mirror image of himself build itself up from his feet to the tips of his hair. His double was pale, and dressed in Yugi’s old uniform… but after a moment, a wash of pixels changed that.

And Atem was staring at himself. He could not think of a virtual double as his ‘other self’; that was Yugi’s term for him and him alone. ‘Virtual double’ would have to do, he supposed.

The double opened its— _his_ —eyes and smirked. “Shall we duel?” he said, quietly and confidently. Then he blinked, looking Atem right in the eye, and seeming to register his identical appearance. “...Interesting.”

“Pharaoh, meet your… original, I suppose,” Mokuba said, rather awkwardly. Atem attempted a smile, but was utterly flummoxed. The double looked surprised but bowed slightly.

“...Okay, that’s definitely weird,” Yugi said, looking from the double to himself and back.

“Yeeeep, I can’t get used to stuff like this myself, and I’ve seen a lot of it,” Mokuba said, looking equal parts impressed and off-kilter, and he gave a slight shudder. “It’s really uncanny, isn’t it?”

“Is there a problem?” Virtual Atem asked, looking concerned. Atem felt his cheeks get warm; it was… exactly the kind of thing he himself would have said.

“I—no, you’re fine, pharaoh,” Mokuba said kindly. “I’ve saved your new clothes and will send you back now.”

Both Atem and Yugi _stared_ at him. The virtual twin, however, did not seem ruffled by this news. “Very well; thank you.” He bowed his head just a little and promptly disappeared in a shower of pixels.

Mokuba looked at them and blinked in surprise. Then he shrugged, looking self-conscious. “I can’t talk to fully rendered AIs as if they aren’t people,” he said, a little sheepishly. “Especially ones of people I know. Part of me knows they’re just code, but…” he shrugged again.

Atem couldn’t help the warm feeling that passed through him. He smiled. “Having respect for everyone or everything is nothing to be ashamed of,” he said, and the younger Kaiba visibly relaxed when he saw his expression.

Yugi nodded; he was smiling, too. “It’s always better to give more respect than necessary, rather than less, in my opinion,” he added reassuringly. “It says a lot about you that you do.”

Mokuba blushed and ran a hand through his hair in pleased embarrassment. “Thanks, guys,” he said, staring at the ground for a moment. Then he took a breath and looked back up. “I gotta use the restroom. I’ll be right back, so try not to break the code while I’m gone,” he winked.

Atem laughed. “But of course.” As if he could mess with the very fabric of this place when keeping his clothes properly situated was sometimes a challenge.

Mokuba’s log-out screen appeared and he winked out of their view.

“For the record,” Yugi said, walking closer to him, “I much prefer the real you. Just in case you were wondering,” he added mischievously.

Atem grinned, and then promptly assumed an offended air. “No wondering about it, I saw how you looked at him,” he sniffed. “TO THINK I’ve been supplanted by my virtual self, _the indignity of it_.” He crossed his arms and gave Yugi his most convincing glare.

His partner, of course, knew him way too well. “But Atem, there were suddenly TWO sets of eye candy for me!” He put his hand to his cheek in false distress. “What was I to _do_?!”

“You _wound_ me, partner,” Atem declared theatrically, throwing an arm out to point at him.

For a second, neither moved. Then Yugi cracked first. He burst out laughing, and it was infectious, so Atem quickly found himself laughing too.

It took them both a moment to calm down, and once they did, Atem looked around at the partially constructed palace courtyard.

“I wouldn’t start creating without Mokuba here to oversee, just in case.” Yugi came to stand next to him, nudging his shoulder slightly.

Atem wrapped his arm around his partner’s shoulders and gave them a squeeze. “I wasn’t going to,” he smiled. “Just trying to figure out where I should start today.”

“What other parts of the palace are there? Living quarters, I assume,” Yugi said thoughtfully.

Atem nodded. “Living quarters, for both the high class and the servants, separate apartments for the royal family, kitchens, a library, scribe rooms, meeting rooms, storerooms, dungeons… there are so many levels below ground, complexes above ground… it’s almost its own city.”

“That’s a lot. A lot we can use for the game, too. Think you can create it all, piece by piece?”

He frowned, considering, removing his hand from his partner’s shoulders. “I think so. I’m not so sure about some of the areas, though,” he admitted. “Servants’ areas were almost exclusively theirs, for instance. I didn’t have to visit the storerooms much but I remember hiding in them as a child to escape lessons.” Yugi snorted in amusement and he smirked a little. “Some of the deep levels, though… the dungeons, the pits deep down…” he couldn’t suppress a shudder. He _knew_ them, but avoided them for the most part. He didn’t like using them if he could help it. They were dark, dank, cramped, reeking even if no prisoners occupied them.

“Uh… Atem?” Something in Yugi’s tone pulled him out of his reverie… and he gulped guiltily.

He’d started to create the dark cells by accident. A partially finished hallway, lit with torches, stopped a mere few yards away, utterly incongruous with the palace courtyard. There were two or three cells he’d unknowingly created, too, and the sight of them made him shiver slightly.

“Sorry,” he sighed, closing his eyes and willing the courtyard to return to normal. He felt a slight resistance in his mind… but then the light behind his closed lids changed and he knew he’d succeeded. Opening his eyes, the courtyard was as it was supposed to be. He felt himself relax.

“I can see why you don’t like them,” Yugi said quietly. “Were they really that dark and creepy?”

Atem nodded soberly. “It was the reason I tended to dole out punishments in ways other than imprisonment. Only the worst and irredeemable went there. My father was the same.”

He remembered his father telling him that imprisonment and torture should be last resorts, not first. That nine times out of ten, justice could be fair without it, and mercy went further than harshness.

And while he’d agreed, and seen the results himself… now that he’d experienced it himself, knew what it felt like to be helpless and unable to stop the pain, he agreed all the more fully—then Kaiba’s face tore across his mind, and the _fear_ —

“Atem!” Yugi’s voice sounded further away than it should, an alarmed warning that came a split second too late as darkness suddenly surrounded him.

Something struck him from behind and he fell onto hard concrete… _concrete_? He scrambled forward, managing to turn around… and felt his insides contract into molten terror.

Kaiba advanced on him, smiling that dangerous smirk that meant pain. He loomed, incredibly tall. Terrifying. Hyperventilating, Atem shrank back, scrambling away until his back hit the wall. The wall of _that room_ , that awful place that still haunted his dreams. He glanced up and saw the cuffs, the same ones as last time, the very same, hanging there ominously just waiting but also seeming to reach for him…

Kaiba raised his arm to bring a whip, _that_ _whip_ , whistling down at him, growling something unintelligible. Atem raised his arm to block it and cried out at the pain. He tried to move, to run, tried to get out of the way—and was yanked back; a cuff was around his ankle, a very short chain leading from it to the wall. He fell to his knees and the chain seemed to contract, shortening further.

Trapped.

He was trapped, he couldn’t escape; his clothes were in tatters and there was nothing between him and Kaiba, and he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t fight. He was panicked, cowering, shrinking back, he was trying not to cry—

Kaiba froze mid-swing and a… a _bubble_ suddenly surrounded Atem. And Yugi was right before him, kneeling, reaching out to him, and suddenly nothing else mattered but holding on to his partner. Yugi pulled him into a sharp, fierce embrace and _held him_ and it was all he could do to cling back.

“It’s not real,” Yugi said firmly into his ear. “It’s not real, Atem; you created it by accident.”

Accident… he created it… by accident…

He was clinging to his partner, gasping and shaking.

“I’m here, I’m real,” Yugi said in that same firm, but gentle tone, rocking him slightly. “You control this, Atem. You can make it go away. This is virtual, remember? We’re in your courtyard.”

Virtual.

Not real.

He felt his paralyzed mind clunk into motion, trying to push past the fear, the visceral, physical panic…

“I can’t control this enough to erase it,” Yugi said softly. “But you can, Atem. You can do it. Put us in your courtyard, just as you remember it.”

“I-I c-can’t,” Atem gasped, still feeling like he was getting no air whatsoever. “I can’t…” He was weak, he was useless, he couldn’t do a thing; the terror was crushing every part of him.

“You _can_ ,” Yugi said fiercely. “You can. Come on, let me help you stand. One foot at a time, okay?”

Yugi was with him. He wasn’t letting go.

Still clinging desperately to his partner, he managed to maneuver a leg under himself. He struggled to rise and felt Yugi’s strong grip reassert itself and support him, helping him.

“That’s it, love,” Yugi murmured. “That’s it, keep going.”

It took a couple of tries, but he managed to get to his feet, Yugi supporting him heavily. He looked up and choked a little.

Kaiba was still in his frozen state, ready to strike… but he _flickered_ for just a moment, as though he nearly moved… but didn’t.

Virtual. It was virtual. And _he_ had created it, so _he_ could control it.

He repeated that in his head, against the terror pounding its way through his veins.

 _I control this_ , he thought firmly, closing his eyes. _I control this. Yugi is with me in the courtyard of my palace in Egypt. That’s where we are. That’s what it looks like. Kaiba is not here. He’s not here. He’s not here, he can’t hurt me or Yugi; he’s not here._

Yugi’s grip on him did not waver.

 _This is my world. This is my creation. And I DO NOT WANT KAIBA IN IT_.

The light behind his clenched eyelids shifted. He felt the familiar mental resistance that slowly gave way.

_Yugi is with me. In my courtyard._ _I control this._

The light shifted again and became brighter.

“You did it, love,” his partner whispered. “It’s gone; it’s all gone now. You won.”

Atem managed to open one eye… and relief nearly made him lose his footing as he saw the sunny, sandy courtyard, just as it should have been.

He realized his face was tingling, his mouth clumsy, when he tried to speak.

“Yu… Yugi,” he managed. “Thank you… you saved me.”

“You saved yourself, ultimately.” He could hear the gentle smile in Yugi’s tone. “I just helped you find some breathing room.”

Yugi helped him sit on a bench that certainly hadn’t been there before, and sat next to him, pulling him into his arms, his head resting on Yugi’s shoulder. He breathed, closing his eyes again, like Yugi had taught him. His partner tapped out the rhythm for him gently on his shoulder.

For a few moments, they sat quietly, and Atem felt himself unwinding slowly, calming down.

“Whoa,” Mokuba’s voice came suddenly, sounding fairly close and making him jump. “Are you guys okay? What happened?”

“Atem accidentally… created a nightmare. Literally,” Yugi answered. His voice resonating in his chest was soothing. “I was able to at least halt it so I could get to him and help him remember that he could control it, but it took a few tries. He managed, though,” sounding proud now and giving him a squeeze. “He cleared it away.”

“Atem, _are_ you okay?” Mokuba sounded worried.

He forced himself to speak quietly. “Not yet… but… give me a moment,” he managed.

“Okay.” The younger Kaiba sounded relieved. Then his tone changed. “Wait, Yugi, you were able to stop the vision? _His_ vision?”

“Freeze it in place,” Yugi corrected. “Temporarily. I WAS able to create a little sphere around us though… I wanted a bubble of safety, and I got one. Literally,” he added wryly.

Mokuba didn’t say anything for a moment. Atem had the distinct impression that he was staring at Yugi, because his partner began to fidget, like he tended to do when he was embarrassed.

“Yugi, that’s… insanely difficult, overriding someone else on the same level as yourself.” Mokuba’s tone was impressed, maybe even awed. “Even I’m not fantastic at doing that when I’m in the world itself; I’m better when I’m outside in full admin mode.”

Atem smiled slightly, pride and love for his partner pushing the anxiety away a little faster.

“I… well,” his other half stammered slightly. “It _did_ take a few tries; it wasn’t easy.”

“You never give yourself enough credit, partner,” Atem murmured. Mokuba apparently heard him and laughed. Yugi just sighed, but gave his shoulders an extra brief squeeze.

After another moment or two, Atem felt steady enough to sit up, open his eyes, and face the virtual world around him. Yugi was next to him, of course, and smiling encouragingly when he looked at him. The courtyard was bright and sandy, as it should be, though the bench they were on was a modern one.

Mokuba was lounging in a bright blue bean bag chair, however, utterly out of place from the surroundings. Atem couldn’t help a small amused smirk when he noticed. The younger Kaiba caught his look and grinned.

“Hey, it’s comfortable,” he said. “And I promise I won’t make it a permanent fixture in your courtyard.”

Atem snorted, and felt himself relax a little more. Yugi laughed. “Oh, I don’t know… I think it goes rather well with everything else, don’t you?”

“Mixing the old with the new is all the rage these days, you know,” Mokuba nodded sagely, feigning a snobbish air.

“Is it now,” Atem said dryly, and Mokuba nodded with all appearances of solemnity.

“Of course,” Yugi agreed staunchly, taking his hand and squeezing it. And trying not to smile, but his eyes were twinkling.

“Both of you have terrible taste, then,” Atem sniffed, finally feeling close to normal.

“Atem, my brother puts Blue Eyes White Dragons on _everything_ ; what did you think _my_ tastes would be like?”

Yugi laughed, and Atem was able to laugh, too. It felt wonderful.

Yugi noticed. “Are you up for creating some things now that you’re feeling better? Or do you need to take a break? Or go home, for that matter.” His eyes were full of concern.

Atem took a moment to assess himself. He was tired, still a little jumpy and anxious… but his head felt okay. “I think I can manage a few things,” he said, smiling slightly. “Maybe something bright and cheerful… like the living quarters and gardens?”

He looked at the younger Kaiba for confirmation, and Mokuba nodded, looking excited. He jumped up, and the bean bag chair disappeared as he did so.

“Sounds awesome,” he enthused. “How about I go into full admin mode and watch from above, so to speak? Just in case something happens again. I can still talk to you guys and such, of course.”

Yugi nodded, rising, and Atem did the same. “Thank you,” he said, and meant it.

Mokuba regarded him seriously for a moment. “Creations that take on a life of their own can be terrifying,” he said quietly. “It’s happened to me once or twice. And after, you’re a little more vulnerable than usual. If you get stuck in something else, I’ll be able to stop it within a few seconds.”

Atem nodded again, gratitude filling him. Mokuba being in a position to help even faster than Yugi made him more at ease.

“Makes sense,” Yugi said. “Thanks, Mokuba; that’s really helpful.”

“You got it,” the younger Kaiba said. He flickered for a second, then faded out.

Yugi looked at Atem, brushing his face lightly with his fingers. “You sure you’re up for it?” His gaze was tender.

“Yes,” Atem answered, a little more confidently than he felt. He smiled. “You’ll love the gardens, partner; they’re beautiful.”

He closed his eyes and began to walk, creating as he went.

* * *

Mokuba paused the footage and leaned back in his chair, frowning. His heart was pounding.

He’d wanted to see what had happened, out of curiosity both for what Atem had accidentally created, and how Yugi had halted it. Their creation sessions were recorded, to be able to pore over later for any glitches they’d missed and to study how each person created things differently, and stored on a secure server that only Mokuba himself and his team had access to.

And boy, was this one a doozy.

He had never seen Atem lose control of himself before.

The nightmare bubble - he wasn’t sure what else to call it - was strange and warped, a sphere of darkness that contained the visions inside. Everything was larger than their real-life counterparts, including his brother. In the way of true, dreamed nightmares, reality mixed with unreality to create the bizarre.

But the look on Atem’s face as he cowered, trapped by his own creation… _that_ was real. His panic, the way he clung to Yugi like a drowning man grasping at his last hope, the deep-seated _terror_ in his eyes… it twisted Mokuba’s stomach to see it. It was awful, heartbreaking... haunting.

Aside from his brother - before all this, at least - Atem and Yugi were the strongest people he knew. He’d never thought he’d see either of them cower. _Especially_ not Atem.

Even on a good day, Seto would have scoffed at this display of raw emotion; he would label it as weakness, laugh at it, say it was proof of their inferiority. His temper had a reputation, but he refused to show uncertainty or fear in public, refused to show much at all beyond arrogance and anger.

But Mokuba had always been unsure of that attitude, and now, staring at Atem’s frightened face buried in Yugi’s shoulder, he knew it to be wrong.

Atem had gone through hell. He’d been tortured and helpless for hours, and it had left deep scars that remained all these months later. And yet… and yet, he came here with Yugi, had _volunteered_ to do so, several times a week. He was his usual kind, poised, confident self most of the time, and even the moment Mokuba had seen in their home, where he’d grown teary, it had passed.

And this had passed, too. He’d stayed in Yugi’s arms for just a moment or two after Mokuba’s return, relaxing a little as they bantered, and then pulled himself together. And he’d been able to create some incredibly beautiful areas of his palace before he wore down.

The fact that he was able to pick himself up like that, to keep going even when the trauma had come rushing back, showed strength beyond anything Mokuba had seen.

Yugi, too, had shown incredible strength today, in a more overt way. Mokuba watched his interference three times over, trying to see every detail. It had indeed taken Yugi four tries to break into the nightmare bubble; Mokuba could see him trying at first to stop it, then trying to invade it in different ways. He thought one of the things Yugi had tried was pulling Atem physically out; it was slightly difficult to tell without Yugi telling him himself.

The bubble of safety and the freezing of the nightmare was astounding. Mokuba himself had accidentally created a nightmare bubble once or twice, and it was not an experience he wanted to repeat; something tied to strong emotions like that was incredibly difficult to break out of on one’s own, and almost impossible for someone else to interrupt unless they were in full admin mode.

But Yugi had done it; he’d interceded and given Atem the space and reassurance he’d needed to calm down and dispel the thing himself.

Yugi had confided that he’d been poring over the notes and reports Mokuba had given him to look at, and had been enthralled with the research that went into it. Atem had teased him for it, but there was pride in his eyes. But even with that extra knowledge, Yugi was _incredibly_ adept at managing and manipulating virtual reality.

When he began to create his own games, Mokuba had no doubt that they would be amazing.

He loved them both, he realized; they felt like a strange combination of brothers and friends. They treated him as an equal, acknowledging when his knowledge or intellect surpassed theirs with immediate grace, and yet would tease him or goof off sometimes, too. And they always looked out for him, made sure he was okay, stood firmly in his corner.

And while he knew he stood firmly in their corner and was showing it… he resolved to do so as much as he could.

Family looked out for one another, after all.

Before rising from his desk to check on Seto, he erased the footage of the nightmare.

Just in case.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT NOTE: And now... we have ONE short and sweet chapter of pure smut. Explicit smut. VERY EXPLICIT. It is the ONLY chapter like this; it was just begging to be written and it made no sense outside of this story SOOOO here you go. 
> 
> ***IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ EXPLICIT THINGS and/or ARE UNDER 18: Skipping this chapter is OKAY. There is nothing in here that is important to the plot! I promise. 
> 
> If you DO want to read explicit things, however... have fun with our adorkable Puzzle bois, guys *thumbs up*

"Okay, you can look now," Atem said, sounding self-conscious.

Yugi turned around, and felt every ounce of blood in his body rush either to his face or to his groin. There was no in-between.

As he'd jokingly requested - and then more seriously once Atem had asked again later - Atem had put on his pharaoh's adornments tonight... and _only_ the adornments. The rest of him was bare, and _hoo boy_ , Yugi was overwhelmingly thrilled at the result.

He tried to voice his appreciation, but managed only a slightly strangled sound, and mentally thwacked himself for being so unhelpful.

Atem was looking both shy and amused. "...Yugi?"

" _God,_ you're gorgeous," Yugi finally managed. The gold set off his skin, drawing attention to his muscled arms, his well-defined calves, the sparkle in his deep violet eyes. All excellent places to look, in Yugi's opinion.

Atem flushed, but looked pleased. "Thank you," he murmured, then smirked. "You, however, are wearing far too much."

Yugi grinned; he had a point. "As my pharaoh commands," he said grandly. Atem laughed, but Yugi went up to him, grabbing one hand and tugging gently, leading him to the bed. "No, really," he said as he did so, smiling at his other self, "you are _my_ pharaoh tonight. Command me however you want."

Atem looked surprised, but smiled as he sat. "Tell me if you don't want to do something, though," he said quietly, gazing up at Yugi. "Don't take it too far."

Yugi leaned down and kissed him. "I promise." He knew he could stop if he needed to; the same went for Atem, of course, but it always touched him when Atem reminded him.

Atem smirked as he pulled away, giving Yugi his King of Games smirk that made him flush further. "All right then... your pharaoh commands you to undress. Slowly."

Yugi grinned and stepped back, starting with his shirt buttons. "Unfortunately, your servant is a rather pathetic dancer," he murmured, "or I'd be giving you a better performance."

Atem laughed outright. "Oh, that doesn't matter. I'll appreciate whatever you do for me, partner," he said… then blinked, and cleared his throat. "I mean—I expect your best efforts," he said, mock-sternly, clearly getting into character for the fun of it.

"Will you punish me if I don't perform well enough?" Yugi practically purred, shedding his shirt rather clumsily but attempting to toss it away with grace. He turned to the side slightly as he pulled his undershirt over his head, making sure to give his other self a coquettish, innocent look. It was immensely difficult keeping a straight face, but he managed.

Atem's face was flushing redder and he was already at attention. "Oh, absolutely," he rumbled.

"Well then," Yugi said, dropping his undershirt and starting on his pants, "I'll have to do my best, won't I?"

There was no easy way - or sensuous way, for that matter - to get his rather tight jeans off. It was awkward, but he got them off eventually, shooting Atem a pout when he snorted at Yugi's attempts to not fall over. Just because _he_ knew he looked rather silly did not mean his other self had to express his notice.

"I may have to punish that," Atem said huskily, but not entirely disguising an amused grin.

"Oh no," Yugi sighed theatrically, making short work of his socks and underwear, "What shall I have to endure?" He was, however, all for any "punishment" his pharaoh could think up for him, and his pharaoh knew it.

"Hmmm," Atem pretended to think as Yugi made sure he was not going to trip over any of his clothing that now littered the floor.

Yugi attempted to saunter over to him smoothly - and, judging by how Atem inhaled as he did so, he'd succeeded. "Shall I kneel before my pharaoh?" he intoned softly. He had his own ideas of what he wanted to do tonight, but he would take his cues from Atem's wishes.

"Ohhhh," Atem breathed, his breath hitching deliciously. "Yes. Yes, you should."

Yugi felt himself growing hard and ready; _god_ did Atem look magnificent. Flushed, muscled, his slightly ragged breathing and light sheen of sweat just added to his allure. He was beyond a pharaoh in Yugi's eyes right now; he was a _god_ of sensuality, and Yugi wanted nothing more than to make sure he knew how he felt, that he _knew_ how much Yugi loved him.

He knelt, never taking his eyes off his partner, between his legs, drawing his fingers lightly up each calf. Atem's breath hitched again, and he moaned just a little. "Gods, Yugi," he choked out.

"Shall I pleasure you, my pharaoh?" Yugi managed, just barely keeping his tone even; he could _smell_ Atem now and his erection was _right there_ just begging for Yugi to take care of it. But he would have to wait for his pharaoh's command.

" _Yes_ ," Atem ground out, his hands clenched into fists, clutching the bedsheet beneath him. " _Now_ , partner."

Yugi couldn't help a grin; he'd been wanting to do this all day. He took Atem in his mouth, slowly, stroking his inner thighs, his hips, with gentle fingers as he did so. Atem _groaned_ deeply, and Yugi could feel his tension, and couldn't help a slight 'hm' of excitement as he started to move.

And then Atem's hands were tangling themselves in his hair, gripping, and his entire body was taut with arousal, and his gentle but insistent tugs for Yugi to speed up seemed to send jolts of pleasure to his own growing erection as he complied. Yugi hadn't done this for him in quite a while and knew he was a bit out of practice, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered except the noises Atem was making and the feel of his dick in his mouth and the scent of his skin, and how much he _loved_ his other half and _wanted_ him to come undone for him and him alone.

He did come undone, fairly quickly, jerking and arching, letting out a deep growl through clenched teeth, and Yugi was more than happy to swallow as much as he could. Atem's grip on his hair relaxed abruptly as he practically collapsed onto his back on the bed.

Yugi smiled, wiping off his mouth, and raised himself up so he could see Atem's face. As though he knew what Yugi was trying to do, Atem propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at him, his gaze hazy with a mix of release and contentment… and perhaps even a little bit of wonder.

"That...that was amazing," he whispered, and Yugi felt his smile widen of its own accord. "Are you… or, do you need..." he trailed off, apparently having difficulty with words.

But Yugi understood. "Yes," he admitted; seeing Atem sprawled like this was not helping his own situation. "But if—"

"Come here," Atem whispered roughly, cutting him off. He shifted his weight and held out one hand. Yugi felt pleasure and happiness well up in him as he rose, and he reached to take it... and then realized he needed it for balance when his knees protested the sudden movement. His other self hm'd a little in amusement but managed to help him steady himself before he climbed onto the bed.

He was aiming for Atem's side, but Atem pulled his hand sharply and he ended up sprawling on top of him instead. His partner's arms wrapped around him tightly, and before Yugi could raise his head, Atem was kissing him, hard, and then kissing his chin, his jaw, behind his ear in a spot that had Yugi melting and practically _whining_ in pleasure.

Somehow, he ended up on his back with Atem on top of him, and now Atem was stroking him, jerking him off in spectacular fashion as his mouth seemed to go everywhere. Yugi couldn't keep track, he had no idea what was coming out of his mouth, he just clutched whatever part of Atem was closest and rode the heatwave of pleasure his partner stoked in him until it crested and broke, and it was his turn to jerk and arch uncontrollably, releasing into his pharaoh's hand, head thrown back in a soundless scream.

Atem held him as he came back down to earth, shaking in the aftermath of his release. Atem was trembling a little, too, and planted feather-light kisses on the top of his head.

"I love you," Yugi managed to mumble, somewhere in between Atem's neck and shoulder. His partner's deep, quiet chuckle resonated in his chest, under Yugi's ear.

"I love you too, partner," he murmured. "I take it that was good, then?"

"'mazing," Yugi sighed. He was growing sleepy, but he knew they had to clean themselves up… and Atem was still wearing his gold accessories, in any case, which could not be comfortable. "Should we clean up...?" he said, fighting back a yawn.

"Probably," Atem said, sounding slightly regretful. "And I need to take off my crown and jewelry too."

It took both of them a considerable amount of effort to disentangle themselves from each other and get up. Wiping each other down, and helping Atem get the bangles off his arms and legs, probably would have been arousing all over again to both of them, but Yugi was incredibly tired, and could tell Atem felt the same.

The night was slightly chilly, so they both pulled on PJs and climbed into bed. Atem drew Yugi in close, and Yugi was more than happy to use Atem's shoulder as a pillow, cuddling even closer.

"That was fun," Yugi murmured, smiling a little. "I like worshipping my favorite pharaoh."

Atem snorted and then laughed quietly. "Are you insinuating that you worship more than one?"

"Digital version, remember? Two sets of eye candy." Yugi giggled a little at Atem's amused sigh.

"I think I should be offended, partner."

Yugi shrugged a bit. "Nah. You're my only favorite. Bet _he_ sucks in bed, too. In the not fun way."

"Please don't tell me you want to find out for yourself."

"...Definitely not."

And then they were both laughing quietly, using each other to muffle their sound. Atem had to reach over to the night table and grab tissues for each of them when they reached the point of mirthful tears.

As they calmed down, though, Yugi felt a slight pang in his chest: the thought had crossed his mind that his real, living partner would have to leave once more. And no digital double could replace him.

"That really was wonderful, partner," Atem said softly, and Yugi could hear his smile. He felt contentment push away the sadness: he was with Atem _now_ , and holding him and making him happy were the best feelings in the world.

"I'm glad," he whispered. "It was wonderful for me, too. All of it."

"Hm? All wh— _oh_ ," Atem gave a small laugh of comprehension. Yugi didn't usually take Atem into his mouth, after all.

"Should do it more often," Yugi yawned, "since you liked it so much."

"I would not complain," Atem's tone was light, and he, too, sounded sleepy. "Though I want to pleasure you more, too."

"Also would not complain," Yugi mumbled, snuggling closer. He was fully warm and comfortable, and he felt Atem relax under him.

"Good night, love."

Yugi wanted to respond, but everything felt too heavy. As sleep took him, his last conscious thought was a mere vague sense that this was what heaven must feel like.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, back to your regularly scheduled smut-free plot.

“...So this way, the headpiece can register whether the person is active and moving in the real world, but can also plug into one of the new pods when the person wants to sit,” Mokuba said, trying not to show his nerves. This meeting was important; he and the VR development and technology teams were sitting with his brother, pitching their ideas for improvements on the beta VR headsets. Seto was always prickly when he thought people were “invading his ideas”, as he put it, and these days, his reactions were utterly unpredictable.

He took a breath, however, and nodded to the head of the development team, an intelligent woman named Horoko, to continue where he’d left off.

Horoko graced him with a small smile before she got down to business. She was accustomed to dealing with Seto, and himself as well. “Mr. Mokuba’s summary is accurate,” she said briskly. “We think it’s important for any user to be able to connect with a pod either before or after walking around freely, without any disruption in their connection.”

Seto, predictably, interrupted. “Why is it important for people to physically walk around while connected to VR?” He glowered at them, looking slightly impatient. “The arena is for dueling tournaments and has the emitters built in, and the pods provide whatever stimulation users need. Anything else is unnecessary.”

“Because people want to be able to stay active, Seto,” Mokuba responded, before Horoko could do so. Seto would listen to him much more easily than anyone else. Seto turned his glower on him, unconvinced. “We’ve had requests from users, and especially parents of children, to make active gaming a feature. It’s unhealthy to sit in one place immersed in _anything_ for long periods of time; you know that even if you ignore it,” he couldn’t help adding slightly impishly.

Those around them cracked small smiles and Seto snorted. “Fine. Continue.”

Horoko nodded. “With this kind of mobility, new challenges arise. Of course, the pod or a VR arena can give a more immersive experience than a mere headset with an eyepiece, and that makes a big difference with games that are built with immersion in mind.”

“Everything in our Virtual World is created with immersion in mind,” Seto said flatly.

“Sure,” Mokuba shrugged, “but dueling doesn’t _have_ to be. It _hasn’t_ been; the duel disks are successful in their own right and are still used on the street. You _can_ attend a big tournament at the KC arena, which is built for fully immersive experiences for both the duelists and spectators, but that’s special. Extra spectacle when we need it.”

Horoko smiled. “Exactly. But for games like the RPG Mr. Mokuba is creating, a mere headset on the street won’t work as well. So we came up with a tiered system in which certain types of games can _only_ be used while in a pod or in an arena.”

“We also thought of making the KC dome not just a VR dueling experience, but a place to host special events with the immersive games,” Mokuba said quickly, as Seto had opened his mouth once more. “Let people really jump around and run if they want to. And for dueling on the street, or other games of a similar kind, we’d set up virtual hotspots where players can find occasional booster packs or gems to trade for rarer cards.”

Seto’s glower morphed into a frown of consideration - a good sign. He was quiet for a moment, and so was everyone else.

“It could work,” he finally said, “especially in Duel Links.”

Mokuba nodded, brightening in relief. “We can try the tiered access in that, maybe? A test run of areas where you can duel in full terrain, but would need a pod to access it since it’d require the player to use that terrain and move around in it.”

Horoko nodded. “We already have the infrastructure in place for the rest of it, and people are using it extensively. Adding on to it as a first step would make sense.”

Mokuba grinned, in spite of himself; Seto being on board and willing to try it in Duel Links was a huge victory. He’d expected more arguments.

“Your game,” Seto said suddenly, looking askance at him, “you’d want it in which category, the mobile one?”

Mokuba shook his head. “No, we want it totally immersive. Creating the old Egyptian world is going well, and we’re designing it with full sensory data in mind. Plus,” he added wryly, “I don’t want anyone walking around on the street and suddenly stopping to jump over a trap that exists in VR but not reality, for example.”

“It’s not just dueling, then,” Seto said, thoughtfully, but Mokuba thought he saw his brother’s gaze lose focus.

Hastily, he spoke up, hoping to keep Seto settled in reality. “Nope, we have puzzles to solve and dungeons to get through. It’s a full RPG,” he smiled, “but of course there’s dueling involved, especially with the boss characters.”

Seto nodded… and then his gaze slid out of focus again.

And then his mouth started moving, soundless mutters, which drew everyone’s attention.

“Seto?” Mokuba asked sharply, anxiety rising; he’d _never_ done that in a public setting before. Not to his knowledge, anyway.

Seto blinked and looked at him, then the rest of the team, whose faces all showed polite concern. “My apologies,” he grunted stiffly, and seemed to mentally shake himself into focus. “Continue.”

“...Right,” Mokuba said, trying to ease his own tension. “Anyway, yes, the game involves dueling but as it’s a full-scale RPG, there’s puzzles and dungeons and character interaction. So it should only be available when you’re in a pod.”

“I see,” Seto nodded.

“And that is why we came up with the tiered system,” Horoko added. “Basic Duel Links, P2P battles, social games, those can be played anywhere if you have an eyepiece and duel disk. Lightweight storylines, such as the in-game tournaments or specialized events with NPC interaction, those _can_ be played on the street but look and feel better in an arena or a pod. Full immersion games, such as Mr. Mokuba’s, can only be accessed in a full VR pod.”

“We really need to come up with a sleeker look for those pods,” one of the other dev leads muttered. Mokuba wasn’t as familiar with him.

“Awaji,” Horoko said warningly, unwittingly solving Mokuba’s problem for him.

“No, he’s right. They’re due for an update,” Mokuba agreed, and Seto shot him a slightly surprised look, but said nothing. “These new headpieces are still in beta anyway, but since we want to have them connect into the pods, why don’t you start working with the design team on not just building in that functionality but also giving it a design overhaul?”

“Sounds good, sir,” Awaji said, clearly pleased.

“How far away are we on the next round of tests on the headpieces?” Mokuba asked Horoko.

“Two weeks,” she said promptly. “We’ll be getting back the new test models from the manufacturer soon.”

“That’s not long enough to have a pod ready to test it,” Mokuba mused, frowning slightly as he thought.

“No, sir, it isn’t,” Awaji agreed, “but having the model to physically look at will help us figure out how it has to fit into the head area of the pod, and how it needs to be adjusted to fit different sizes.”

“Definitely useful,” Horoko nodded. “I’ll make sure your team gets one, Awaji.”

“How many are we getting?” Mokuba asked; he genuinely could not remember.

“Six,” she said. He liked that she always had the information asked of her ready to go. “Four for our teams to put through their paces. One for you to test out, Mr. Mokuba, and one for you, Mr. Kaiba.”

Mokuba realized that Seto had been uncharacteristically quiet and glanced at him. He was looking at him, arms crossed, but his fingers were _twitching_. A _lot_.

Then he blinked, turning his attention to Horoko, and nodded. “Very good,” he said crisply. “The tiers, though…” Mokuba tensed, hoping he wasn’t about to reverse his decision. “We’ll need more than one game available for each of those.” Mokuba tried very hard not to sigh in relief. “Pull a few people from the creative teams to brainstorm some ideas and how they’d fit into this system, and give me the decent ones next week. _Only_ the decent ones,” he added, with a touch of his old snideness.

Neither Horoko nor Awaji blinked; they were used to such remarks. “Yes, sir,” they said, almost in unison.

Seto rose, a clear signal that the meeting was at an end, and the rest of the group rose after him. All things considered, Mokuba thought as he exited the meeting room, it had gone very well.

“Mokuba,” Seto said, stopping only a few steps down the hall to turn and look at him. “Have you thought of a title for your game yet?”

Mokuba felt his face flush. “Kind of,” he admitted. “I was thinking something like… Dueling: Links to the Past. You know… Duel Links. And… Egypt,” he finished, rather lamely in his own opinion.

Seto, however, looked mildly amused. “That would be a good idea, but I don’t particularly want to deal with a lawsuit from Nintendo.”

“... _Oh_ ,” said Mokuba after a second, truly feeling his face heat up. He _had_ to be bright red now, embarrassment was practically leaking out of his _ears_. “Right. Wow. Uh… okay, definitely not that, then.”

“Keep at it,” his brother said, and his mouth twitched in a slight smile.

“Will do,” he said, practically stumbling over his own tongue. He turned to head towards the elevator, intending to head down to the floor he used as his own development space.

“Mokuba,” Seto said quietly, and he turned back, surprised.

He was quiet for a moment, an expression Mokuba couldn’t entirely place on his face.

“What?” he asked.

“Well done,” his brother finally said. He turned and walked away, his fingers twitching again.

Pride and sorrow welled up in Mokuba’s chest all at once, and he had to fight back sudden tears. He took a deep breath, and was able to push it all back, heading toward the elevator bank.

Awaji was not there, but Horoko was. She nodded to him respectfully and they got on the elevator together.

“Mr. Kaiba is… sick, somehow, isn’t he?” Her quiet tone took him by surprise as they descended. He looked up at her; her face was impassive.

“...Yes,” Mokuba said, just as quietly. He didn’t want to give any details, and she did not press him. The rest of their ride was spent in silence.

The elevator dinged for her floor and slowed. Mokuba moved aside to give her room to depart.

“You will make an excellent CEO, Mr. Mokuba.”

The doors opened, and she was walking out before he had a chance to respond.

* * *

Atem was _stuck_.

“Uhhh… a little help here?” he asked, rather sheepishly.

“What hap—oh my _god_ ,” Yugi snorted, very obviously trying to conceal his amusement, and very obviously failing. Atem shot him a rather miffed _look_ just as Mokuba’s laughter filtered into their ears.

 _“No worries, I’ll get you out in a sec. Hold still,”_ he said, invisible to the two of them as he was in full admin mode.

They’d been testing one of the mazes deep in the palace levels, modeled after the maze Solomon Mutou had gone through to find the Puzzle. They had been doing rather well… until Atem’s arm had glitched right through a statue’s torso, and gotten stuck there. Yugi had only been a few feet in front of him until he’d turned a corner, and Atem had placed his hand on a statue - mere decoration, not part of the maze itself - only to find himself half-falling into it as his arm went _through_.

A moment later, however, he felt the air around him contract, and he automatically relaxed as Mokuba made the statue disappear, then moved him just a little so that he wouldn’t lose his balance and topple over the side to his in-game “death”.

“Thank you,” he called gratefully.

 _“You’re welcome! Thank you for finding that glitch,”_ Mokuba said, still sounding amused. Atem huffed a little in mock indignation, watching as the statue rebuilt itself. _“Okay, try putting your hand on it now.”_

Atem did so, not without some apprehension, but this time the statue acted like proper solid stone, no matter where he touched it. “Whew,” he said, with a sharp sigh of relief.

“At least it wasn’t your leg this time,” Yugi grinned; Atem glowered at him for bringing it up. He’d glitched part-way through the floor near a corner a few days earlier, walking every available surface to test for exactly those types of errors, and had ended up being stuck in a _very_ strange and uncomfortable position with one leg half-bent and stuck in the stone and the other splayed out behind him.

Yugi caught his look and laughed. “What? Just saying,” he said innocently, and began walking down a pathway.

The _wrong_ pathway.

“Yugi, not that way, it—” Atem’s warning came too late as a trap sprung and Yugi shrieked as spikes descended, crashing into him with a deafening, terrifying _CRUNCH_.

“Yugi!” Atem yelled, briefly panic-stricken, even though he knew perfectly well that Yugi would just be ported back to the maze’s entrance. It looked so _real_...

“Damn it!” His partner’s yell came from behind him and he turned, feeling intense relief to see Yugi at the maze entrance, looking thoroughly annoyed.

 _“Good job,”_ Mokuba’s voice came, in very obvious mock admiration. _“We didn’t need that one tested AGAIN, but it never hurts to be thorough.”_

“I’m gonna punch you when we’re out of this,” Yugi grumbled good-naturedly, making his way back through the maze toward Atem. “I tested those traps enough times, dangit, I should’ve realized…”

It was Atem’s turn to laugh, now that the initial fear had gone. “This is what happens when you get cocky, partner,” he called.

“Gonna punch _you_ , too,” was the immediate retort.

Atem chuckled to himself, turning back towards the end of the maze and making his way carefully.

_“Yugi, since you’re all the way back there, can you make sure the other statues and non-traps don’t have the same problem?”_

“Okay!” Yugi’s shout echoed through the room. Large and dark, with torches held by statues in strategic places to keep the paths decently illuminated, it was equal parts creepy, thrilling… and _familiar_ to Atem. It _was_ modeled after one of the traps in his own tomb, after all.

But he, Yugi, and Mokuba had worked on this maze puzzle for _ages_ , and seeing it so close to being completely finished was _amazing_. Testing it out over and over could get monotonous, but it was still fun.

He made sure to carefully place his hand on any other statue or column he encountered, pausing to try several spots. His hand didn’t phase through anything else, but one statue ended up _moving_ as if he’d pushed it, floating across the room. Mokuba quickly placed it back where it should have been, and he kept going.

He reached the end of the maze without further mishaps, and grinned. “I win!” he couldn’t help calling to his partner.

“PUNCHING YOU TWICE,” Yugi yelled back.

Atem laughed again, saw and felt the save point activate, took a step forward… and fell through the floor, the game recognizing his “death” and blacking out his view.

Then the game mechanism put him right back where he’d been, just out of the maze, and he fell through _again_.

“MOKUBA,” he shouted, before he died again.

And then _again_.

He would have repeated the cycle, but Mokuba caught him this time, holding him above the ground and moving him two spaces forward of that particular spot before setting him down.

He didn’t fall through.

 _“Oooookay, that’s a bigger glitch,”_ came the younger Kaiba’s voice. _“Yugi, I’m gonna make a red platform on top of the save point; make sure to step on it and then jump off so you don’t phase through the floor like Atem just did.”_

“Got it!” came his partner’s shout.

Atem was still catching his breath.

_“I dunno what went wonky, but the floor is full of patches. The easiest thing to do would be to remake it once you’re both through and back in full editing mode.”_

“Sounds good,” he said. “Should I just stay here and wait for Yugi?”

_“Sure.”_

He turned back towards the maze just in time to see a bright red plate appear just above the floor: Mokuba’s stopgap solution so Yugi could get across safely. Yugi himself was nearly at the end, and did not take long to complete it.

He grinned when he caught Atem’s eye as he stepped onto the red plate. “I saw you fall; for the record, it is _very_ weird to see that happening as though on a loop. You okay though?”

Atem had to smile back. “Yes, I’m fine. It would have been you if you hadn’t hit that trap, you know.”

“Small blessings,” Yugi laughed.

_“I’m about ready for a break. How about you two?”_

“Definitely,” Atem agreed, and heard Yugi’s assent almost at the same time. He closed his eyes as the now-familiar wash of pixels signaled their progress and changes were saved, and logged himself out.

The first thing Yugi did when they reached their break room was march up to Mokuba and punch him in the shoulder.

“Ow!”

“I warned you,” Yugi sniffed primly. Atem snorted, sitting on a couch.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d actually _do_ it,” Mobuka huffed. “See if I save _you_ again the next time you hit a glitch,” he added, flopping down on one of the chairs.

Yugi grabbed an aloe drink for himself and a water for Atem, seating himself next to him. Atem felt himself relax, enjoying the rest and the feeling of Yugi’s physical presence next to him.

“Looks like you’re doomed, partner,” he smiled, taking the water bottle gratefully.

“Oh well,” Yugi sighed theatrically. He opened his own bottle and drank a few sips. “At least I’ll be interesting décor.”

Mokuba snorted, but grinned. “Oh! I almost forgot to tell you two. Seto approved the tiered system idea, and how the headsets can be used for lightweight gaming on the street and then plug directly into the pods.”

Atem sat up, and could not help grinning himself. “Really? That’s excellent.”

“Yeah!” Mokuba enthused. “And once we get the new beta models in, I want you two to test them a bit. Nothing crazy, just on this floor at first, then maybe at home.”

“Sure! And the pods, too?” Yugi leaned forward in interest.

Mokuba shook his head. “Nah, there’s no way we’ll be able to get a working prototype of that within the next couple of weeks. But the team in charge of that area will get one of the beta headsets so they can see how to engineer the pod to interface with it properly.”

“Makes sense,” Yugi nodded.

“And the other team leaders liked your idea as well?” Atem asked, smiling at the younger Kaiba proudly.

“Yep,” Mokuba said. “They… they really _listen_ to me,” he added, looking both thoughtful and pleased. “I mean, not that they didn’t listen if I gave a direct order, but they’d usually double check with Seto first. But now, they really seem to respect what I say, even if they ask questions or point out problems.”

“They’re seeing you as a good leader,” Atem nodded, still smiling. “You’re smart, and you’re showing you can command _and_ handle constructive criticism well. You’re able to take suggestions but not lose sight of how things fit into the bigger picture.”

“And you respect people in return,” Yugi added. “You don’t brush off expert opinions from someone else. You’re finding a good balance.”

“On the one hand, it’s nice,” Mokuba said, still thoughtful. “On the other, it’s kind of weird. I’m less than half their ages most of the time. Sometimes I’m a _third_ of their ages.”

“People who work here are used to both you and your brother, and both of you are prodigies,” Atem reminded him. “Plenty of people would absolutely see age as an issue, but you’ve proven yourselves.”

“...How is he, by the way?” Yugi asked slowly, looking solemnly at the younger Kaiba.

Mokuba sighed. “Slipping,” he said sadly. “In public. Muttering or mouthing words… in that last meeting, his hands and fingers kept _twitching_. One of the department heads asked me quietly if there was something wrong with him afterward.”

Atem swallowed, feeling both sad and apprehensive. “And… at home?” he prompted.

Mokuba’s shoulders slumped and he stared at his knees. “Still trance-walking and talking. Sometimes he’ll stop and yell at–at you, sort of,” he looked at Atem apologetically. “He either hallucinates that you’re in front of him or he just… talks as if he thinks you’re listening. It’s pretty bad. But he won’t see any kind of mental health professional.”

Atem felt incredibly uncomfortable and wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Yugi reached over and squeezed his hand slightly. He squeezed back gratefully.

“How much time do you think you have?” Yugi asked quietly, “Before he really shatters and you _have_ to take over?”

“Not a clue,” Mokuba sighed. “But probably not too long.”

They were all quiet for a moment.

“And…” Yugi trailed off, but spoke up again. “And is there any danger?”

Mokuba looked back up at them. “About him coming after you again?” Yugi nodded. Atem did, too, and tried to ignore the anxiety rising in him. “The same as always, I think. It’s… really hard to know for sure.”

“We know it’s hard,” Atem assured him quietly, hoping to ease his tension even as his own body tensed more. “And you’re safe too, yes?”

“Yeah, as safe as I can be.”

“Good.”

They lapsed into silence once more. Atem was having far fewer nightmares of late, and far fewer panic attacks as well; he reflected that while he himself had come far since the attack, he really, _really_ did not want to run into Kaiba again anytime soon. It was easy to forget about him when they were immersed in their virtual world, creating amazing things together… but he couldn’t forget. He _had_ to keep his guard up.

He _would not_ let Kaiba touch him again.

Mokuba broke the silence after another moment or two. “How about I order in pizza? Then we can dive back in and re-make that faulty floor.”

“All right,” Atem nodded. “I am getting rather hungry.”

“Me too,” Yugi agreed.

He was able to enjoy himself while they ate, but could not help keeping a wary eye out as they got back to work.

For some reason, their conversation made him feel that a clock was ticking. He just wasn’t sure what it was ticking down _to_.


	21. Chapter 21

They almost ran into Kaiba, both literally and figuratively.

That they didn’t was sheer luck, pure and simple.

Atem and Yugi had gone to the restroom when they’d taken a break from creating, as usual. They’d waited for each other, chatting about what they wanted to work on next, as usual, and continued the conversation as they headed back to the break room near the VR center.

And then they’d turned the corner just in time to hear the elevator ping, and Kaiba’s voice emanating from it as the doors opened. Atem froze in horror.

Yugi grabbed his hand and yanked him back around the corner. One glance at each other, and they were running as quietly as they could back to the bathroom, slipping inside and ducking into the handicapped stall for good measure.

Yugi hadn’t let go of his hand and used it to pull him into a hug, which Atem returned almost automatically. His heart was _pounding_ ; that had been so _close_ , and he was shaking from the adrenaline rush that had yet to calm down. He nearly jumped a foot off the ground when both their phones buzzed. A quick, terse message from Mokuba:

 _Don’t come back yet_.

So they stood there, locked in their embrace, heads on each other’s shoulders. Yugi was shaking as much as he was, Atem realized, and he began his breathing count to try and help both himself and his partner calm down. He used a finger to gently tap the rhythm out on Yugi’s shoulder… and heard a tiny snort of surprise that made him smile slightly.

Yugi obviously understood what he was doing, however, and began to match his breaths to Atem’s. Silently, they breathed together, hardly even hitching when the motion-activated light mechanism turned the lights off, plunging them into complete darkness.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Their rhythm was so in sync that they almost sounded like one person.

His partner relaxed first, his grip on Atem’s shirt loosening, his arms sliding gently down to encircle his waist instead.

Atem, however, could not entirely relax… because his mind, no longer in flight mode, was recalling something new.

“Partner,” he whispered. “Did… did you hear what he was saying?”

Yugi sighed, his breath tickling the hairs on the back of Atem’s neck. “Yes,” he whispered back, and his grip on Atem’s waist tightened slightly. “He was talking to you.”

“As though I was next to him.”

“Threatening you.”

“Yes.” Atem’s breath hitched slightly; he wasn’t fighting the urge to cry this time, but was still afraid. And definitely disturbed. He’d heard from Mokuba that Kaiba had begun to mumble things to no one, but hadn’t seen or heard it himself until now.

“He’s not touching you again. I won’t let him,” Yugi whispered fiercely, and Atem felt his head shift off his shoulder, and then a soft kiss brush his cheekbone, before his chin settled back on his shoulder.

“I know, love. Thank you,” he murmured. “I just… can’t rid myself of the feeling that something is coming. Or is about to happen.”

“Me too,” his partner admitted.

They both jumped when their phones buzzed once more, Mokuba letting them know that it was safe for them to return. They jumped again when the motion sensor detected their movement and flicked the lights on without warning; after a glance at each other, they laughed sheepishly at themselves.

It was almost inevitable, Atem couldn’t help thinking as they made their way to the break room, that something like this would happen. The sheer size of the KC tower notwithstanding, Mokuba was working with them, and it would not at all be out-of-bounds for Kaiba to come and check on him and his work. Not to mention that, as Kaiba still ran the entire company, he had full access anywhere he pleased.

Mokuba would have warned them far earlier if he’d known his brother was coming; this had clearly been a surprise for him, too.

But what were the odds that the next surprise would occur when he, Atem, was fortuitously out of sight?

His thoughts were interrupted by their arrival at the break room, and Mokuba rushing up to them, anxiety written all over his face.

“Are you okay? Did he see you? I’m so sorry; I knew he wanted to pick up his beta headpiece but not _when_ , I thought he’d call down first—”

“It’s okay,” Atem broke in, smiling as reassuringly as he could. “He didn’t see us.”

“We got to the elevator bank just as he was arriving there, so we booked it back to the bathroom,” Yugi added. “It was tense, but we avoided him.” He walked over to their snack bar and grabbed a bag of chips.

Atem followed him, grabbing his usual bottle of water before sitting down. “We heard him before we saw him,” he said to Mokuba, and Mokuba’s relieved smile sobered. “He was talking as though someone was with him.”

The younger Kaiba sighed. “That someone being you, I take it.”

“Yes,” Atem admitted. “Is that what you were telling us about, that talking to himself?”

“Yeah it is.” Mokuba’s entire frame seemed to slump, and for a moment he looked utterly exhausted. “I don’t know how often he does it when people are around, but it’s happened at least twice. I’ve been asked about it.”

“Well,” Yugi said slowly, sitting next to Atem, as usual, “in a way, it was a good thing. If we hadn’t heard him talking nonstop and realized who it was, we might have walked right into him.” It wasn’t much of a consolation, even though it was true, and they all knew it.

“Talk about timing,” Mokuba grimaced. “That was seriously lucky.”

“No kidding,” Yugi said, before Atem could agree. “If we were virtual, we could at least create something to hide ourselves, but here?” He shook his head, then looked at Mokuba directly. “Think he’ll come back down here anytime soon?”

“He shouldn’t have a reason, unless it’s to give back the headpiece,” said Mokuba, frowning a little. “But honestly, it’s hard to say.”

“Hopefully, luck will be with us again if he does,” Atem said, knowing his apprehension was showing, but not caring to hide it.

Yugi reached for his hand and squeezed it. “It will,” he said, “but if it doesn’t? We’ll keep you safe.”

Atem nodded, smiling gratefully, and for the next few hours, Kaiba was the furthest thing from his thoughts as he and Yugi tested, tweaked, and re-tested a particularly difficult puzzle they’d come up with. It involved swinging from strategically placed chains in an ominous-looking dungeon whose floor had collapsed, and every so often, they would realize that the next chain they had to swing to was _just slightly_ too far away, or too far left, or too _something_ , and would meet their game deaths via the bottomless pit fall.

Both Atem and Yugi needed a few minutes to reorient themselves to walking normally at the end of the day, but were laughing about particularly spectacular failures each of them had had as they left and headed home.

And that was, apparently, when their luck ran out.

They always left from one of the side exits, both because it was closer to their area anyway, and because it would draw much less attention than using the main entrance, which was partially open to the public.

So they were walking up the block towards the intersection where they’d cross, when Kaiba turned the corner right in front of them, having obviously exited from the main entrance, and ended up facing them dead-on before they could react.

Atem stopped dead, mid-step, and Yugi did the same, before moving in front of him.

Kaiba’s face morphed from slack disinterest to sharp shock so fast that under other circumstances, it would have been comical. Then his expression became deranged and _gleeful_.

There were people around them; the rush hour commute was just beginning. Atem’s heart hammered as he both fought to keep his expression calm and challenging and tried to strategize. Was Kaiba past the point of caring about his public image? Would he attack anyway? Could Atem get Yugi out of the way in time if he did?

Kaiba’s eyes met his and his face seemed alight with feral triumph. He took one step toward them, and then another.

And then Yugi moved, grabbing Atem’s arm and maneuvering both of them into the one-way street. Atem yelped in alarm, realizing the light at the intersection had just changed, and cars were accelerating towards them—

—But then they were on the other side, and cars were rushing past, and they both turned in tandem to see Kaiba still on the opposite side, his expression furious.

“Let’s go,” Yugi breathed, and his tone was higher than normal. Atem grunted his assent and reached for Yugi’s hand just as Yugi reached for his, and held on tight.

As they made their way home hurriedly, taking more turns than usual, Atem felt his sense of impending doom grow stronger.

He couldn’t explain how, but he _knew_. He _knew_ in his gut that they were running out of time.

* * *

Mokuba leaned back in his chair in his home office, sighing with satisfaction. He’d gotten everything done that he’d needed to get done, his game’s development was progressing spectacularly, and the VR head pieces were functioning well so far. Aside from the close call with Yugi and Atem, today had gone very well.

The sheer amount of work involved in all these projects was a overwhelming sometimes, if he was honest with himself. But at the same time, it was a _challenge_ \- a challenge he could handle, but a challenge nonetheless. He’d been so _bored_ in school, mastering everything so quickly that his private tutors had to move into grade levels beyond his own, and even then, the most difficult lessons only took him a couple of weeks to understand.

This, however, was different. Running a business, or even just one big project _within_ a business, was not simple. There were dozens of moving parts, people to wrangle, opinions to consider, and all of it had to fit properly into the larger picture of the company and its products as a whole.

It was exhausting… and yet he loved it.

Maybe he really _would_ make a decent CEO.

The door was flung open, interrupting his thoughts. He sat up and gaped: Seto was leaning against the now-open door, hand still on the handle, hair a complete mess… glaring.

Glaring, with a deranged snarl beyond anything Mokuba had seen before, at _him_.

“Mokuba…” His brother’s voice was harsh even as he drew the word out painfully slowly.

Mokuba stood up, every hair seeming to stand on end. “Seto? God, what _happened_? Are you okay?” He hoped his voice wasn’t shaking. It probably was.

Seto began to laugh softly, a sinister snicker that had a wild tinge to it that made Mokuba shiver. “What happened…” He took his hand off the handle and lurched forward a couple of steps. He almost seemed _drunk_. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out, Mokuba? Wouldn’t find out, little brother, wouldn’t I, keeping secrets?”

Mokuba fought to keep his face from showing the icy river of dread that rushed through him. “What the hell are you talking about?” The question came out harsher than he’d intended, but Seto was _really_ disturbing him now. “Find out _what_?”

“I hear things, little brother, I see things,” Seto half-smiled, and it was more terrifying than his worst glare. “Hear things, things like two developers talking about Yugi Mutou and his _boyfriend_ and how _great they are_ and how _helpful_.” Mokuba swallowed reflexively. _Oh no..._ “See things, seeing _them_ , him and the _pharaoh_ , the _fucking pharaoh_ , walking up the street by the building. Hearing and seeing.”

Seto lurched unsteadily forward, the last few steps it took to reach Mokuba’s desk, and leaned his weight on his hands unevenly. Mokuba felt rooted to the ground in horror. Logic dictated that their paths would accidentally cross eventually, but _still_...

“Why would I be hearing things like that, Mokuba?” His brother’s voice had become quiet and dangerous. “Why would they be walking by the building? Whyyyyyy, _little brother_? Why would I see them looking so fucking _happy_?”

Mokuba’s mind clunked back into motion and began to race. “Seto, stop that, please,” he managed to croak out, more to buy himself time than anything else.

“I’m just _curious_ , Mokuba, I want to _know_ , know why you’ve been hiding the pharaoh _under my nose_ —”

“It’s _not_ that,” Mokuba interrupted, but Seto talked over him.

“—under my nose, working against me, helping him try to defeat me or defeating him yourself instead of me, why else would he be there—”

“SETO,” Mokuba snapped, taking a breath to steady himself when Seto surprisingly quieted immediately. “I knew you wouldn’t like it,” he said - which was entirely true - and did his best to sound irritated, “but I needed _someone_ to test drive those head pieces, and their hair is so insane and they’re so familiar with dueling virtually and with a disk already that it made sense to see what they thought, whether the pieces fit them.” All of this was still true; he just had to carefully avoid the lies that his brother would easily spot. “They were here today and met with the developers, and you _know_ how they’re all fans of dueling. And so you probably saw them leaving. Is that _so_ out of line?” he couldn’t help adding snidely.

“It’s out of line that YOU DIDN’T TELL ME THAT THE FUCKING PHARAOH WAS IN MY BUILDING,” Seto suddenly roared, slamming his hands onto the desk into fists. “I could have HAD HIM, I could have FINISHED EVERYTHING, and YOU—”

“I told you,” Mokuba shouted angrily, standing his ground, “I _told you_ that I _would not help you hurt them_. They’re my _friends_ , Seto!”

“I’M YOUR BROTHER,” Seto practically _screamed_.

“My brother who’s OBSESSED and INSANE—”

“I AM NOT INSANE.” Seto’s eyes were wild, boring into Mokuba’s own.

“—to the point that _people are noticing_ ,” Mokuba continued loudly.

And, miraculously, Seto’s mouth snapped closed and he stared at him. There was suspicion in his glare, but… he was quiet.

“People are _noticing_ ,” Mokuba repeated, trying desperately to keep his anger under control, “and they’ve asked me about it, and I’ve had to _lie_ and say you’re just overtired and stressed. So _no_ , Seto, I _did not_ tell you that I would bring the person you’re obsessed with destroying into the building, because I knew it’d be a disaster if you knew. A _disaster_ ,” he repeated again, when Seto opened his mouth to argue. “For _everyone_.”

He felt both hot anger and cold rage, frustration that so much of this was falling on him so fast mixed with terror at how badly his brother was spiraling out of control.

For a moment, Seto was quiet, merely looking at him as though through a fog, breathing heavily.

“This is _my_ project, Seto. You told me to run it as I saw fit, and that is what I’m doing,” Mokuba finally said, breaking the silence. “Do you want my work to come to ruin or not?”

“I see fit… for him beaten,” Seto growled.

“I am not helping you do that; I’ve told you a million times,” Mokuba retorted coldly.

“I need to _beat him_ ,” his brother snarled, fingers almost clawing at the desk.

“No, you don’t,” Mokuba shot back. “You need to send him _home_ where he _belongs_.”

“I NEED TO BEAT HIM.” His brother slammed a fist into the desk, so hard that Mokuba’s pens and pencils rattled.

“Send him back and you’ll never have to see him again. Erase the AI version for good measure.”

“THAT IS NOT THE POINT,” Seto exploded, one arm sweeping out and knocking three reports and a few memos to the floor so fast that Mokuba instinctively jumped. “IT ISN’T THE POINT HE CAN’T BE DEAD IT’S NOT THE _POINT_.” His gestures were sharp but wild, and he nearly knocked Mokuba’s monitor to the floor; Mokuba only just barely managed to catch it before it did so.

“What the hell _is_ the point, then?” he managed, slightly shakily, steadying the screen.

“TO WIN AND CRUSH HIM FOREVER EVERY DAY HE’LL BE MINE.” Seto pushed himself away from the desk and lurched away - and promptly tripped over the chair next to him. He grabbed at it wildly but his strange unsteadiness sent him careening into the wall with a nasty _thunk_.

“Seto!” Mokuba was halfway around his desk before he even registered what he was doing; he pulled up short just as his brother straightened. “Are you okay?! For crap’s sake, sit down, are you _drunk_?”

“I don’t… I don’t drink, you know that,” Seto growled, but it was half-hearted, and he sat in the chair he’d just tripped over… but not before staring at it suspiciously for a moment.

Mokuba headed back around to sit in his own chair, and watched as his brother slumped down, leaning his head on one hand.

“You _need_ to get help, Seto.” It was a risk saying something like this when he’d just calmed down, but he _had_ to.

“No, I don’t. I am fine. It’s _his fault_ , him who’s not fine.”

Mokuba waited for the inevitable explosion, but… it didn’t happen. Seto just glowered in the general direction of his desk.

“Have you tested your new headpiece?” Mokuba asked rather tightly, after his brother continued to say nothing.

“Yes,” Seto muttered, sounding almost sullen. “Good interface so far. Bit glitchy if I turn my head too fast.”

“Good to know.”

“Might be able to get a full 360-degree immersion out of it. Definitely 180.”

 _This_ was a surprise; Mokuba sat up and stared, more interested than angry now. “You think so?”

“Yes. I’ll work on it.”

“You sure—” Mokuba cut himself off; he’d been about to ask if Seto was sure he could mentally handle it, but figured that’d just ignite the shouting match once more.

“Yes, I’m _sure_ ,” Seto snapped, sounding almost normal. “I wouldn’t have said so if I wasn’t.”

“Right. Uh… thanks,” Mokuba said awkwardly.

Seto stood, more steadily this time but definitely not _very_ steadily, and shuffled toward the door. As he reached it, a maid poked her head in, looking stressed, and then relieved as she spotted them.

“Pardon me, Master Kaiba, but your tea and sleeping medication are ready for you.”

Seto merely grunted at her and exited.

“Thank you, Kayoko,” Mokuba called quietly. She nodded at him but shot him a look full of worry before she followed his brother.

He thought he heard mumbling start near his brother’s bedroom.

All at once, the emotional toll the fight had taken seemed to strike, bearing down so suddenly that it felt like a physical weight. Mokuba fell back in his chair, leaning back as far as it would go, shaking and clutching his own shirt as tears sprung to his eyes.

He’d never seen Seto this bad. Even with the sight of Yugi and Atem as a potential trigger, this was _bad_. Seto hadn’t made _sense_ with some of his sentences tonight, even aside from the obsessive rage.

And he’d gotten _violent_. What were the odds that he’d lash out at Mokuba himself the next time he screamed at him?

Yugi and Atem would have to stay away for a couple of days, break the semi-routine they’d fallen into in the past few weeks. If Seto didn’t see them near the office, maybe he’d think it was truly a one-time thing. Maybe he’d get so immersed in working on the prototype headpiece that he’d forget about them altogether.

Maybe it’d be okay.

Even as he pulled out his phone to call Yugi, he knew it wouldn’t be okay.

* * *

“No.”

“Atem, I’m _scared_.”

“I can’t keep running and hiding, Yugi; I can’t stand it.”

Yugi groaned, pacing their room in fast, tight steps that did nothing to diffuse his anxious energy. “I know, love, but this sounds really serious.”

“It is serious, but it’s _been_ serious, partner.” Yugi shot a _look_ at Atem at that; he glowered up at Yugi from his seat on their bed. “I mean it. Don’t you think I’m scared, too?”

In spite of himself, Yugi felt his mouth quirk slightly. “You look more angry at the moment.” Atem’s frown smoothed out slightly in response, and Yugi sighed. “I know you’re scared,” he said as gently as he could manage. “I don’t need to share your mind to know that. I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“I know. But I don’t want _you_ to get hurt either, and if we split up, we’re easier targets. If you go by yourself to the KC tower, you’re an easier target. If I stay here, I’m easier to grab. At least we have a better chance together.”

Yugi knew he had a point but was not willing to give up just yet. He stopped pacing and faced his partner. “He almost hurt Mokuba, from the sound of it.”

“You said yourself that we’re probably safest with him anyway,” Atem reminded him, “He has people there to protect us.” He rose and crossed to Yugi, putting his hands on his shoulders. “And shouldn’t we try to be there for him and protect _him_ if Kaiba lashes out?”

Guilt struck Yugi. Of course he was concerned about Mokuba; the younger Kaiba was their friend and had been there for them several times over. He’d just… forgotten the danger he was in when faced with the idea of a raging Kaiba coming after his partner.

He sighed. “You’re right,” he admitted. “It’s just…” he trailed off, not entirely sure what he’d even intended to say.

But Atem seemed to understand. Despite the worry in his eyes, he smiled slightly, and pulled Yugi into an embrace, which Yugi returned immediately.

“I know,” Atem said softly into his ear. “I really am afraid, partner. But I’ll have to stop running sometime.”

“Look at us,” Yugi murmured, slightly wryly. “Me being the nervous one and you being brave. Just like old times.”

Atem chuckled quietly. “Not at all. You’ve always been courageous. But being with you… helps me be braver.”

Tears filled Yugi’s eyes and he closed them tightly, hanging onto his other self. He didn’t want to let him go; he wanted to keep him safe and happy, away from Kaiba’s crazed and cruel intentions.

“Let’s… let’s at least heed Mokuba’s advice and stay away for a couple of days,” he managed to choke out. “Then we’ll go back.”

“Deal,” Atem agreed, and pulled away from him slightly. Yugi opened his eyes and realized that Atem’s were teary, too. His other self reached up and brushed his face softly. “We can face this, partner,” he said, smiling gently. “I know we can. We can face _anything_ together.”

They went to bed, nestling close together. And just holding, and being held by his love and other self, was enough for Yugi to relax and sleep peacefully.


	22. Chapter 22

Atem was _staring_.

Staring, wide-eyed, at a virtual iteration of Zorc. Which he had just created with Yugi. It was motionless, as they’d only created his appearance, but still… _very_ lifelike.

“...Is it stupid that I’m a little afraid of it?” he muttered to Yugi, who stood next to him, gaping as much as he was.

Yugi snorted. “Nope, I remember him as well as you do, and I definitely did not want to come face-to-face with him again.”

“Wow, this thing is _huge_ ,” Mokuba said, walking around Zorc to meet them. “Pretty sure I’m glad I didn’t get to see the real deal.”

“You definitely should be glad,” Yugi said dryly.

Mokuba looked up and blinked. “...Kinda thinking we should nix the dragon dong for our game, though,” he said, though his mouth twitched in amusement.

Yugi laughed and Atem felt himself relax a little as he smiled in spite of himself. “He really did have that,” he said, “but I agree.”

“It is definitely unnecessary,” Yugi concurred, grinning. Atem watched as he closed his eyes, frowning in concentration.

A moment later, Zorc’s nether region looked entirely sexless.

“There we go,” Yugi smiled, opening his eyes. Atem’s mouth quirked in amusement once more.

“Much better,” Mokuba approved.

“I would just like to point out that we’re making aesthetic decisions on the _actual embodiment_ of darkness and evil,” said Yugi.

“And?” Mokuba said, but grinned.

“It’s _weird_ , that’s all.”

Atem laughed. “We’ll never be able to play through the final boss fight with straight faces after this, partner,” he teased.

“Probably not,” Yugi shrugged.

“He’ll make a fantastic final boss for everyone else, though,” Mokuba said appreciatively, looking at the immense figure. “You take one look at this guy and can immediately believe he’s the ultimate force of evil. What did he sound like?”

“Loud and deep,” Yugi said, after a second’s thought. “Way deeper even than Atem’s voice.”

Atem nodded. “His voice seemed to shake our very bones. There was a malice there that I can’t even describe properly. I’m not sure we could really render it.” He shuddered.

Yugi grasped his hand softly and he looked at him. “Would you want to try?” His gaze was solemn.

“Only if you want to,” Mokuba said quickly. “Remember, I can jump out and halt anything if it gets out of control.”

Atem took a deep breath… and nodded. He closed his eyes, remembering the real being looming before him, crushing his kingdom, destroying those he loved one by one. His helplessness the first time, knowing there was only one last-ditch attempt he could make that he wasn’t even sure would work. The second time, trying to hold out, hoping desperately that Yugi and their friends could reach him in time, his failures and stumbles threatening to overwhelm him…

The ground shook. He opened his eyes… and there it was. The darkness choking everything, closing in; Zorc in his true form, incongruous next to the static double, wantonly destroying all in his reach, bearing down on him, the laughter and mockery as he thought all was lost, watching his last friends perish. The screams, the smoke and ash in the air, the blood staining the sand and stones red...

 _I don’t want to see this anymore_ , he thought sadly, closing his eyes against the tears that burned in them. He felt Yugi’s hand squeeze his; he’d almost forgotten he was holding on to him. The reminder helped center his concentration; he focused, willing the scene to disappear.

The light shifted and brightened… and the scene was back to normal when he opened his eyes; they stood in the plaza within the palace walls, the neutered Zorc standing placidly in front of them.

“You’re getting really good at that,” Yugi said quietly, and he was smiling gently when Atem looked at him.

Atem managed a smile back. “It’s a little easier knowing it’s a memory that I purposefully called up, rather than an accident.”

“Holy shit,” Mokuba breathed, and they both looked at him; he was staring at them, looking shaken. “That’s what it was like?”

“As far as I remember,” Atem sighed.

“That was _awful_ ,” Mokuba shuddered. “No wonder you were staring at our version like that. I’d have collapsed and cried if I was in your shoes.”

“People were counting on me, _dying_ for me,” Atem said softly, but firmly. “I had to fight for them.”

Yugi let go of his hand and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “He’s the bravest person I know,” he said, and gave Atem’s shoulders a squeeze. “Though he will always insist he isn’t,” he added dryly.

A small smile tugged at Atem’s mouth before he even realized he was growing amused. His cheeks were warm. “I just do what has to be done.”

Yugi looked at Mokuba and gestured to Atem with his free hand as if to say, _Case in point_. Mokuba’s tense expression broke and he laughed. Atem just sighed, but felt his own tension ease. _Yugi_ was the bravest person _he_ knew, but he also knew arguing the point would be futile.

“All right, well, let’s get our big guy saved and then banish him for a while,” Mokuba said, and a wash of pixels immediately filtered over the Zorc copy before it vanished. “And while I don’t think recreating that horror is the best idea, we can definitely use elements of it in the final boss fight, and the scene that happens if you lose.”

“Oh yeah, we have to figure out weaponry classes and such, especially what will and won’t work on Zorc,” Yugi said thoughtfully.

Atem looked askance at him. “The players have to collect the god cards to defeat him, partner.”

“Well, _yeah_ , but they have to have something to fight with while they get each one to the proper place.”

“...All right, fair point.”

“A mage staff, maybe?” suggested Mokuba.

“Definitely something that wields light,” Atem agreed.

“Maybe an option for a special sword,” mused Yugi, “or Light-class armor.”

Mokuba gestured quickly, and the landscape moved around them to the “outdoor temple” area they were building for the final boss fight. “How realistic are we gonna go with this armor?” he asked.

Yugi abruptly grew six inches and sprouted elaborate purple and green armor that resembled the Dark Magician’s robes rather closely, so fast that Atem jumped in shock. Then both he and Mokuba laughed. “You look like you’re piloting a mech, partner,” he smirked. “Wrong time period.”

“Excuse you, I look _amazing_ ,” Yugi sniffed in mock offense.

“I _think_ we get get a little closer to Egyptian armor while still keeping high defense and magic properties,” Mokuba said, still laughing.

“I can tell you now that my digital incarnation would absolutely refuse to accept help from a hero dressed like _that_ ,” Atem said with false gravitas.

Yugi’s armor vanished and he was back to his usual size, looking _thoroughly_ aggrieved. “Both of you have _terrible_ taste,” he huffed, and Atem chuckled.

He was about to respond when the column in front of him _flickered_. Or, rather… it almost seemed to glitch out in ragged sections of pixels, and then solidified. From the silence from the other two near him, he could tell they’d noticed it, too.

“What the heck…” Mokuba muttered, walking up to the column and touching it. “Seems okay.”

Atem walked towards another column, a considerable distance away, to see if it was also glitching. From a distance, it didn’t seem to be.

Then a portion of the _sky_ glitched into pixels and then solidified back to normal.

“Uh, Mokuba?” Atem called, but Mokuba cut him off.

“Saw it,” he said tersely. “Hold on.” He closed his eyes and his figure went still and de-saturated slightly, a sign that he was either messaging privately or accessing his private controls.

Atem caught Yugi’s eye and his partner made his way over to him, a puzzled frown on his face. “This hasn’t happened any time you’ve been here without me, has it?” he asked.

Yugi shook his head. “Never,” he said quietly. “Well… it’s happened a few times when we were creating things and having trouble with placement or not concentrating properly,” he amended. “But not out of the blue like this.”

Atem nodded, frowning. He called up his own settings, both internal and for his admin privileges, scrolling through them all. Everything seemed to be normal… and then his eyes caught one small difference and he nearly choked, hurrying out of the settings mode so fast that it hurt his eyes.

Yugi was watching him patiently; he’d seen Atem’s vibrance fade as Mokuba’s had. But his expression morphed from slight concern to worry as soon as he saw Atem’s expression.

“What’s wr—”

“I can’t log out,” Atem said urgently, quietly, trying not to panic. “I can’t—it’s grayed out, I can’t access it.”

_“What?!”_

“Check yours, do it now,” Atem hissed. Yugi nodded and went still, his figure dimming. Atem was fighting back full-blown anxiety now; he hoped it was a glitch the developers could solve, but… but…

...But his gut was _screaming_ in certainty that it was something worse.

Yugi’s figure brightened and he blinked. “I’m fine,” he said, looking troubled. “And I just locked out access to my account for everyone except the three of us.”

Atem blinked. “I didn’t realize we could do that.”

“It’s one of the more obscure admin things Mokuba showed me… Atem, you don’t think…?” Yugi’s expression mirrored the worry Atem felt.

“I hope not,” he said quietly, so his voice wouldn’t shake.

Mokuba jerked back to life and full color, and they moved toward him immediately. His expression was worried. “I just spoke to the developers on staff today,” he said. “They say someone tried to breach our security wall, but aren’t sure if anyone actually—”

“I can’t log out,” Atem interrupted. Mokuba’s eyes widened and he gaped at him.

“What the—what do you mean, you _can’t_?”

“It’s grayed out in my settings; I can’t get around it,” Atem said quietly, trying desperately not to sound as scared as he felt.

“Mine is fine,” Yugi added, also quietly. “I locked access to everyone except the three of us, too; you should do that for yours just in case. Do it now.”

Mokuba nodded, dimmed for a grand total of about five seconds, and was back. “Done,” he said. He looked at Atem gravely. “Seto must’ve done that, but… I don’t get how or _why_ —never mind, this isn’t something I can fix in here; I’ll log out and—”

Something crashed into the ground near them and _exploded_.

Atem was thrown backward, away from Yugi, falling flat on his back. Coughing, he scrambled to his feet, looking around wildly for Mokuba and Yugi. He couldn’t see much; sand was swirling in the air everywhere, making everything a haze.

“Yugi!” he yelled as loudly as he could. “Mokuba!” He was panicking now; he started back towards where he thought they’d been. Where were they; what _happened_ , what would happen if you were struck by something lethal in VR? Oh gods, _oh gods_ , where was his partner…

And then movement above him caused him to look up, and he felt suddenly rooted to the ground.

Kaiba.

Kaiba was descending from the sky, a Blue-Eyes behind him, its mouth _smoking_. He had no jetpack or other obvious means of keeping himself so perfectly controlled, but was clearly doing so with no trouble. A terrible, triumphant sneer twisted his entire face, his eyes overbright with malice. One eye was covered with the translucent eyepiece the beta headset had.

“Hello, _pharaoh_ ,” he said silkily.

Atem _ran_.

He forgot everything else; he just turned tail and bolted, hardly knowing where he was going. Kaiba laughed loudly, nastily, and the sound echoed, making it difficult for Atem to tell how close he was. He heard the distinctive roar of the Blue-Eyes, and dove to the side just in time; a lightning ball crashed into the ground right where he had just been. He rolled, using the subsequent explosion to get himself further away.

And then he remembered exactly where he was and what he could do.

He whirled, concentrating. _I want the air to be clear. I want Kaiba and the Blue-Eyes GONE_. Resistance in his head. He knew this would be hard; maybe he couldn’t get Kaiba out but he would _try_. _I am in control. This is MY domain_.

More resistance. Then something gave.

The air cleared. The Blue-Eyes was not gone, but further away; Kaiba whirled in mid-air when he realized it had moved. Then it disappeared with a roar.

Atem looked across the pavilion and saw Yugi, standing, his gaze turned up toward where the monster had just been. A rush of pride broke through his adrenaline; Yugi had _always_ had better control over this than he had.

Kaiba, however, either did not spot Yugi or did not care, for he turned his gaze back to Atem. Murderous, a terrifying insanity that spoke volumes. He began to speed towards Atem, teeth bared in a snarl. Atem, however, stood his ground this time.

It was time to stop running.

“You think your pathetic abilities are enough, do you?” Kaiba sneered.

Atem thought furiously of a transparent shield appearing between himself and Kaiba. Resistance… and then give. Kaiba’s feet suddenly crashed into a sheet of what looked like curved glass and he cursed in obvious pain.

“Perhaps,” Atem said, managing to keep himself still, his gaze steady, arms folded. Where was Mokuba? He hadn’t seen him in his glance across the plaza; had he logged himself out? Was he hiding? Hurt…?

The shield gave way right beneath Kaiba’s feet and he fell… only to be caught by the shield sealing up again, trapping his legs right at the thigh. Kaiba _howled_ and Atem couldn’t tell whether it was from pain or anger, or a combination of both.

He hadn’t done that, but he smiled. His partner was always there right when he needed him.

And then Kaiba waved an arm and the shield burst apart, tiny shards raining down. Before Atem could reach out and direct them, they coalesced into a ball – and then hurtled away.

Towards Yugi.

“NO,” Atem screamed and forgot about defending himself; he threw everything into his command: _DO NOT HIT YUGI_.

He was running before he realized what he was doing, running to where his partner had been, and the ball of glass swerved suddenly and slammed into the ground at the base of the column, which fractured and toppled.

Yugi’s shriek was cut off.

Atem couldn’t see him, couldn’t see anything that told him whether his partner was okay – _he’ll be fine –_ and he was both terrified and furious – _he’ll be fine, it’s virtual, he’s okay_ – and time seemed to slow to a crawl as he turned back toward his enemy, who was now on the ground and stalking towards him.

_He’ll be okay._

“Got him out of the way now, pharaoh,” Kaiba practically _crooned_ , “Gone so it’s just us, just you and me, like it should be so I can finish it finish you—”

Atem planted his feet, fury overtaking terror. _Yes_ , he was pharaoh. And this was _his domain_ , and _his_ world, and he _would not_ tolerate threats to those he loved. Not again. 

Loose stones at his feet rose, swirling around him in a lethal vortex. He controlled them, fed his anger into them, and threw an arm out; they slowed a bare second before shooting out at Kaiba’s advancing form, mere yards away.

He had always been better at controlling things that were already around him.

Kaiba cursed and stopped, a metal shield slamming between him and the projectiles; Atem willed it to crumple and it began to before Kaiba realized what was happening and tossed it away. The remaining stones veered away, falling harmlessly to the ground.

Atem spread his fingers and felt his will extend. The ground beneath them both cracked; a circle broke free and lifted him into the air, and he moved his arms up, calling the debris up with him. Part of him vaguely noted that gold arm guards encircled his wrists and a cape was tugging at his shoulders.

Well. So be it. Pharaoh was a god on earth. 

And Kaiba had trespassed on his soul.

One group of rocks formed themselves into a javelin and hurtled down towards Kaiba to strike; the rest surrounded his enemy from above and began to strike in a harsh, damaging rain of stones.

Kaiba couldn’t deflect all of it; he managed to avoid the javelin but was pelted with the stones. He snarled and cursed—

—And then was no longer there.

Atem halted the stone barrage, blinking in surprise.

“Well, well…”

He looked up.

Kaiba was kneeling on a clear disc, which was hovering above him, far out of the way. He rose slowly, his face scratched, hair a wild mess, his eyes furious even as his mouth twisted into a sick parody of a smile.

“Oh pharaoh, my brother has taught you I see, taught you things… but I _created_ this world, built the _code_ that built the world.” The disc floated down a little, further into Atem’s direct line of sight. He braced himself, readying another volley to respond to his command. “I thought it’d be fun to play, but you, you think you’re at my level that you can win you can do what I can do… so I think I’ll just punish you instead.”

Atem felt something close around him with a _snap_ , but saw nothing. It took him a moment to realize that his control of the elements around him was just… _gone_.

His eyes widened and fear rose, washing away the anger. He tried to reach out, to change something, _anything_.

He couldn’t.

“That’s better,” Kaiba sneered. “Now then… time to play.”

The stone platform under his feet plummeted, and he fell with it. An invisible hand caught him in midair, squeezing so he could hardly breathe, and then hurled him the rest of the way to the ground.

He _slammed_ into it on his back, bounced–rolled–over and over–coming to a stop in a painful, agonizing heap. His cape had wrapped and tangled itself around him so tightly that he could hardly struggle, though he managed to get a hand free, coughing harshly. His eyes streamed tears, though they were tightly closed; he’d hit his head more than once.

If that had been a real fall, he would be dead. As a virtual one, it was the most painful one he’d ever experienced. He pushed himself up with his one free hand, felt the cape shift, and began to struggle, loosening it.

And then the invisible hand picked him up again, tossed him into the air this time, and he slammed back-first into a wall.

...A _wall_?

He tumbled into a heap, the cape unwinding as he did so… and noticed that it was darker than it should be. Colder than it should be.

He opened his eyes, trying to get his arms under himself to push himself up.

He stopped when he saw the walls of his old prison building themselves around him. _That_ prison. _That_ room.

_No…_

Molten terror scorched through him and he struggled to get to his knees, to his feet, using the wall behind him as a support.

And then Kaiba materialized in front of him.

_No…_

“Weeeeelcome back,” he drawled.


	23. Chapter 23

Atem was trapped.

He was hyperventilating, shaking, hardly able to think. Instinctively, he ducked to the right and ran, careless of the fact that there was a wall there to stop him.

He got no more than five steps before something snapped closed around each ankle and wouldn’t let him go further. He overbalanced, falling to his hands and knees, looking behind him to see cuffs around his ankles, connected to chains that were bolted to the floor.

_No-no-no…_

The bolted-down parts of the chains shifted, moving, dragging him toward the center of the room. He tried desperately to dig his fingers into the ground, to find some purchase, but could not. He tried reaching out with his mind, but felt nothing.

“ _This_ is how a creator bends virtual reality to his will,” Kaiba’s mocking voice seemed to come from everywhere.

Wide, heavy metal cuffs materialized in front of his face, attached themselves to his wrists and locked themselves together.

Oh gods, these again; he knew what these meant, but he could do nothing. He was paralyzed, shaking with the full force of a panic attack, hardly able to breathe properly, locked into a screeching hurricane of terror that drowned out almost everything else.

“ _This_ is is what control _really_ is.”

The cuffs lifted themselves, dragging him up to his knees, up to his feet, pulling his arms taut over his head, attaching to a descending chain.

Here he was. Again. Was he crying? He probably was. He hurt, he hurt all over and it was just like last time, only now he was locked into a virtual prison with no way out, there was no saving himself, there was no one to save him. Helpless. Powerless. Stuck here forever, alone, with _him_.

“I am _god_ here, pharaoh.” A hand grabbed his chin roughly and forced his head up; he opened his eyes instinctively to find Kaiba’s face inches from his own. Leering. Wild glee. Triumph. Breath in his face, hot and damp and rough.

“We didn’t finish our game, you know.”

Kaiba held up his free hand; a whip materialized. _No, not that, not again._ Atem could not stop himself from whimpering pathetically in fear.

Kaiba snickered and released his head, then ripped his cape from his shoulders and walked out of his line of vision. “You’re mine now, totally mine, no one can stop me this time… and now you’ll pay for _everything_.”

Strike.

Agony.

Screaming.

“I think I’ll keep you here, pharaoh, we can play our game _forever_ here…”

Strike.

Strike.

“Though I suppose if I want a fuck doll I’ll have to pull you out for brief periods, we can’t do that here but I’ll fix that I’ll fix everything…”

There was no coherent thought in his head. There was only pain. Fear. Despair. But he would not beg, he _would not_ plead for mercy.

It was the one scrap of courage he held onto.

Strike.

“Maybe I’ll drag your pathetic counterpart in to _watch_ , oh that’ll be fun…”

No, no Yugi should stay out of it, stay safe, he had to stay safe, oh gods he had to be okay…

Strike.

Oh gods, oh gods, _oh gods, please…_

 _Thunk_.

...Nothing had struck him that time. He felt nothing, only a slight breeze.

...A _breeze?_

He opened his eyes. Blinked.

The room had lost its walls; he was now hanging incongruously from a chain suspended in the sky, in the pavilion. The pavilion as it was _supposed_ to look, though still wrecked. Kaiba swore from somewhere behind him, then fairly _shrieked_ as an invisible _something_ pulled him past Atem into the center of the plaza, where he fell with a _crunch_ and did not immediately move.

Atem’s chains vanished; the ones on his wrists dissolved gently, giving him plenty of time to find his footing. He was shaking all over, hyperventilating, blinking in the light, hardly able to process what had just happened.

He felt the familiar sensation of the air contracting around him and tensed.

_“It’s me, love. I’ve got you.”_

Yugi’s whisper into his private channel was the single most wonderful sound he had ever heard in his life, and he nearly collapsed in sheer relief… then nearly shouted in shock as his AI double built itself pixel by pixel in front of him from the feet up in a bare two seconds. The Pharaoh blinked at Atem, bowed solemnly, and walked to stand beside him.

And about 15 others broke off from his figure and silently materialized in a ring around Kaiba, who was starting to get up.

Atem felt the air contract around him a little harder, and he was suddenly in the circle of doubles, evenly spaced, watching from a new angle. He looked down and saw no dirt on himself, no marks on his skin, his cape hanging where it should be.

He blended right in, and marveled at the force of will it must have taken for his partner to pull this off. This had all taken a grand total of about ten seconds.

_“Stay still, love. Keep quiet for now, okay? You’ll be safe. I promise.”_

He trusted Yugi with his life and soul. He merely nodded once, briefly, to show he understood. He hoped Yugi could see him.

Kaiba’s reaction, under just about any other circumstances, would have been hilarious.

He was getting to his feet, breathing harshly, an angry snarl on his face, glaring at a double directly in his line of sight. “Ohhhh… you’ll pay for that, I’ll fucking _ruin you,_ pha—” He stopped mid-syllable, gaping, looking at the double next to the one he’d seen first, then spinning partway around jerkily, first in one direction, than another.

“WHAT THE FUCK.”

Kaiba’s gaze raked over them all wildly, shock written all over his face. Atem made a conscious effort to stay still, hardly blinking when that look met his. “WHAT THE FUCK. HOW’D YOU DO THAT WHERE ARE YOU WHERE’S THE REAL—”

“Three guesses, Kaiba,” one of the doubles said, to Atem’s left. Kaiba spun to look for the speaker but clearly could not figure out which one it was. Atem saw that the doubles were all smirking, and did the same.

“But if you lose…” another said, this time somewhere to Atem’s right.

_“Say he’ll pay a penalty game, love.”_

“You’ll pay a penalty game,” said Atem, keeping his smirk in place, his posture straight. It was easier to do that now, and a slight thrill ran through him. _This_ was something he could manage, giving him safety and a way to fight back even if he’d lost his power otherwise. And it was buying them time.

His partner was a _genius_.

“Game start,” said a double directly across the circle from him.

Atem instinctively crossed his arms to wait, and then mentally kicked himself for moving without warning—but no, the others were crossing their arms, too, each one just a touch out of sync with the one next to it, so that it looked natural from all sides.

Kaiba paused for a second or two. Then he lunged, running at a double three iterations down from where Atem stood.

“Wrong,” the double said smugly, and Kaiba was bounced back into the center of the ring.

_“Mokuba’s almost in. Hang in there.”_

“Two more guesses,” said a double further down the circle.

Kaiba was glaring around the ring once again. Then he stopped, staring at the double to Atem’s immediate left… and started to laugh.

“Ohhhhh very clever, pharaoh, veeeeery clever, but _there are no penalty games here_ ,” he crowed triumphantly.

“What is your guess?” A double behind Kaiba asked placidly, as though he hadn’t spoken.

“The game is still in play,” added another.

Kaiba stared hard at one of the doubles, concentrating… then looking almost comically perplexed. “I can’t tell…” he said quietly, more to himself than any of them, “I can’t tell, I can’t make them, I can’t… what the hell,” he snapped, more loudly, “you have no administrative privileges anymore, how the _hell_ did you weasel out of this, did you think I wouldn’t figure it out you coward it’ll be mine in the end—”

“You haven’t made your guess.” Another double. Atem noted that none of them had spoken more than once yet.

Kaiba seemed to snap. “I DON’T NEED TO GUESS,” he roared, and a ring of light surrounded them all, behind the ring of pharaohs. “I AM YOUR GOD HERE, I RULE THIS FUCKING WORLD, I WILL DESTROY _ALL OF YOU_.”

He raised a hand into the sky, and his Blue-Eyes White Dragon returned, landing next to him with a resounding crash.

“I’LL DESTROY YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. BLUE-EYES, ATTACK. THEM. **ALL.”**

The dragon roared, aiming at the pharaoh clone that Kaiba wildly pointed to first. It struck, its white lightning ball crashing into the double, which merely rippled, and phased out.

“AGAIN.” The dragon was already rearing its head, aiming at the next one in the line. That one, too, merely rippled, became translucent, and faded.

Atem was growing nervous; he was absolutely sure that Yugi was trying to do _something_ , but the silence from his partner was unnerving. He couldn’t ask, however; he could do nothing but stand there, for doing anything private would desaturate his figure and give him away in an instant.

Another clone vanished under the white lightning blast. And then another.

Five left before Atem. _Hurry, Yugi_ , he thought.

Kaiba was laughing maniacally, wildly, so hard that tears of mirth were streaming down his face. If this had been reality, Atem would be sweating.

Four left. His knees were threatening to give out; his anxiety was rising.

Three.

...And then the dragon vanished.

In the midst of Kaiba’s shriek of disbelief, Atem felt something near him open, but could see nothing. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to react, for he understood immediately.

His administrative privileges had been restored. He was in control again.

The other clones of himself vanished, save one: the one immediately to his left. Atem looked at him, and his virtual double turned his head to look back, and smiled briefly.

“HOW,” Kaiba roared, noticing the two of them, hardly coherent in his rage, “HOW THE FUCK–WITHOUT POWER–MY BLUE—”

“You never did count me for much of anything, did you?” A column marking the corner of the pavilion rippled and vanished, leaving a ruined one visible, and Yugi standing on the base.

He’d been there the entire time, hidden in plain sight. Atem swayed, almost lightheaded with sheer relief.

Kaiba spun to face him, snarling. Yugi looked at him, smiling slightly. “You should know by now, Kaiba,” he said lightly, “Nothing keeps me knocked down for long.”

Kaiba lunged and leaped, propelling himself forward so that he was aiming right for Yugi, arms outstretched. Just before he reached the column, however, Yugi vanished, immediately reappearing about ten feet to Atem’s right. Kaiba’s momentum sent him crashing into the ground.

Atem _immediately_ ran to Yugi and nearly bowled him over in his rush to hug his partner.

“You’re a genius,” he breathed into Yugi’s ear, clutching him painfully tightly. “You’re a _genius_ , partner, thank you, oh _gods_ —”

“I love you, too,” Yugi whispered, hugging back. “But it’s not over yet.”

They broke apart, looking warily at Kaiba as he got up and glared at them.

And then his expression turned to puzzlement. “What—I can’t…?”

Mokuba appeared, his figure building itself up in a backwards shower of pixels, standing right in the middle of the pavilion, facing his brother.

“That’s enough, Seto.”

Atem could see Mokuba’s profile; his expression was equal parts stern and sad.

“Mokuba,” Kaiba gasped, then smiled a strange, off-kilter smile and marched towards him. “What _timing_ , little brother, I need you—”

“No,” Mokuba interrupted, and Kaiba very obviously walked headfirst into something solid and invisible; he bounced off and stumbled a little, looking both angry and bewildered. “I said, that’s enough.”

Kaiba jumped… but it was a normal jump and he landed on his feet, looking stunned.

“You have no powers here anymore, Seto. And you can’t change that; I’ve locked you out of access to all levels above a basic user.” Mokuba’s voice wavered just a little, but he stayed put, staring his disheveled brother down.

Yugi’s hand found his, and Atem gripped back so fast that he heard his partner inhale sharply. But he was rigid, staring at the two brothers, knowing beyond any doubt that he should not interfere.

“Why?” Kaiba’s breathless question pulled his gaze to him. The elder was staring in sheer shock.

“Because you need to be stopped. This has gone too far. It went too far when you kidnapped Atem and refused to send him home. But now… even I can’t save you.” Mokuba’s voice broke.

Fury spiked on the elder Kaiba’s face. “What I do and do not do is not your business,” he snarled. “If I say it’s necessary, _it is necessary_.”

“Seto, even a single ounce of logic would tell you that _none of this_ was—”

“You’re _questioning me?_ ” Kaiba growled, his voice rising into a thunderous shout. “I give you a little more executive power and you think you can dictate everything I do, is that it, _little brother_? _I_ run this company, _I_ run this world—”

“No, you don’t,” Mokuba cried loudly.

“YES I DO,” Kaiba practically screamed, slamming his fist against the invisible barrier. “YES I—“

“Not anymore.” Mokuba’s voice rang out with an authority Atem had never heard before. Kaiba stared at his brother in silence, who closed his eyes and sniffled once before visibly pulling himself together. “Not anymore you don’t, Seto,” he said, more gently. “You don’t run this world; this is _my_ creation and my responsibility. And,” he added, as Kaiba shifted, “you… y-you don’t run KaibaCorp anymore, either.”

Kaiba’s mouth dropped open.

“I’m s-sorry, Seto,” Mokuba said quietly, tears starting to fall, though he kept his back straight, his head up. “But in the next 24 hours, you will be declared mentally unstable and unfit to run the company. And I will be installed as CEO.”

Under other circumstances, Atem would have pitied Kaiba. He looked winded. Stunned.

Betrayed.

“I had to do it. You would have run KaibaCorp into the ground; it _would have_ been run into the ground with all the mistakes you were making,” Mokuba said thickly. “You worked so hard to build it, _we_ worked so hard, but you’ve been so obsessed with Atem that you couldn’t see anything else. I couldn’t let it all collapse… Seeing you collapse was bad enough.”

Kaiba merely stared at him, his eyes hollow with horror.

“I’m sorry,” Mokuba continued tremulously, “If-if you hate me, I understand.  But… but I’ll take care of you, Seto. No matter how much you h-hate me, or what people say, I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

Kaiba didn’t move for a solid few seconds. Then, slowly, he sat down on the ground, still staring ahead, but unfocused.

“Everything…” he whispered.

Cautiously, Atem approached Mokuba, Yugi and his virtual double in tow.

“Everything,” Kaiba whispered again.

“I’m sorry, big brother,” Mokuba sniffled, truly weeping now.

“Everything, he’s taken it, taken it all, it’s all his fault, he did this, he did everything, he took it and laughing stop laughing why are you why is he laughing…” Kaiba mumbled, still staring into nothing.

“No one is laughing,” Yugi said quietly, sadly.

Kaiba kept going as if he hadn’t heard. “...All his fault laughing at me don’t laugh at me everything is gone everything is gone he took it all…”

“I’m… I’m going to log you out now,” Mokuba whispered. “I’ll… I’ll see you at home… I love you, big brother.”

Kaiba’s mumbling figure disappeared in a wash of pixels.

Mokuba’s figure soon followed.

Atem realized his was still gripping Yugi’s hand, and Yugi was gripping his back so hard that it hurt. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip; Yugi got the hint and let go.

Atem turned to the Pharaoh, his AI version, who looked solemn. He held out his hand, and the Pharaoh blinked down at it, then took it, almost hesitantly.

“Thank you,” Atem said quietly. “Thank you for helping me.”

“I am glad I was able to,” the AI said gravely.

Yugi moved forward and held out his hand, too. The Pharaoh blinked at it as well, before dropping Atem’s and moving to Yugi’s. “Thank you,” his partner said. “None of this would have worked without your help.”

“You are welcome, Yugi,” the Pharaoh smiled and let his hand go. “I look forward to seeing you both again. If you will permit me, I will disperse.”

“Absolutely,” said Yugi. Atem was trying to wrap his head around the fact that his duplicate had said “disperse”, when the Pharaoh dissolved in a wash of pixels.

Atem looked at his partner. “As much as I want to hold you and never ever let you go…” he said.

Yugi nodded. “Mokuba needs us _now_.”

Atem had never been so grateful to see a fully functional Logout button.

* * *

They found Mokuba curled up on one of the couches in the break room, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Oh, Mokuba,” Yugi said sympathetically, sitting next to him. As soon as he put his arm around the younger Kaiba’s shoulders, Mokuba uncurled only to bury his face into Yugi’s shoulder, clinging to him.

Atem perched on the arm of the sofa and, after taking a moment to decide what to do, placed his hand on Mokuba’s shoulder and began to rub his back soothingly.

“I’m so sorry,” Yugi whispered. “I’m so sorry that it came to this.”

“I’ve lost him,” Mokuba wailed, and Atem’s heart broke. “I’ve l-lost him… He h-hates me and can’t see reality anymore and I thought I could–but I can’t–and now…”

“I know,” Yugi whispered, looking tearful himself. “I know.”

“I th-thought I’d prepared f-for this, I thought I could handle it…”

“Nothing can prepare you fully for something this bad,” Yugi said sadly.

“And you did everything you could,” Atem murmured.

“It w-wasn’t enough,” Mokuba sobbed. “I w-wanted it to be enough…”

“I know,” Atem sighed. “The times when even our best isn’t enough are the worst.”

“We’re here for you,” Yugi said. “Always.”

Atem managed to slide down onto the couch, between Mokuba and the armrest, and wrapped his arms around the younger Kaiba so that he was sandwiched between them.

They held him, grateful beyond belief that they had made it out of this, relieved that Atem was safe and whole, with Kaiba finally stopped. And the 14-year-old CEO of KaibaCorp clung to them and grieved.


	24. Chapter 24

Mokuba insisted that he would be okay going home by himself once he had calmed down, so Atem and Yugi made their way home together. Atem had a strong feeling that Mokuba wanted to face his brother in person and alone.

Their walk home was nearly silent, though they held each other’s hands tightly. So much had happened; Atem was still trying to process it all. He felt drained and hollow, but his dominant desire was to fall into his partner’s arms and stay in that circle of comfort and safety forever.

Grandpa took one look at their faces and knew something serious had happened. He didn’t pry when Yugi merely said that Kaiba had come after Atem again, just sat them both down to dinner and told them to eat, rest, and tell him about it when they were ready. Atem could have kissed him; his consideration for others was matched only by Yugi.

Once they were upstairs in their room with the door closed, all it took was one look at Yugi’s face, his eyes filling with tears, for the dam to burst. Atem pulled him into a tight, desperate embrace, feeling his tears spill over at last, clinging to his partner, his head on his shoulder. Yugi held him back just as tightly, just as desperately, and he shook with quiet sobs of his own.

They stood there for a while, shaking and crying in each other’s arms. Atem occasionally planted hard kisses on Yugi’s head, his cheek; words were beyond him at the moment, but he wanted Yugi to know how grateful he was for him, how much he loved him. Occasionally, he felt kisses on his own head in return.

Eventually, they curled up on the bed together, still dressed, wiping each other’s faces and blowing their noses, calming down enough to talk.

“You saved me,” Atem whispered raggedly. “Oh gods, partner, I was so _scared;_ but you were so calm and your plan was _amazing_.”

“I was scared, too,” Yugi whispered back. “It took ages for me to break through Kaiba’s prison and I could hear you _screaming_ ; I couldn’t even message you, I was _terrified_ I wouldn’t be able to manage it. And then Mokuba sent the Pharaoh to help me… and we figured out the plan of the duplicates right as I was finally able to break through and get you out.”

“You and my double?”

“Yeah,” Yugi sighed. “He knew Mokuba needed more time to fix everything from the outside. We worked together. He’s really smart. And also seemed genuinely concerned for you; I didn’t think he’d been programmed to have emotions but I guess he was.”

“...Interesting,” Atem murmured; he was starting to feel sleepy. “I’m glad you had help when you needed it. Breaking apart the prison… was all you though?”

“Yeah, it was.” There was quiet pride in Yugi’s voice.

“You’re amazing, partner.” Atem smiled and nuzzled his partner’s neck a little, and Yugi kissed the top of his forehead in response. “I don’t think I could ever be as strong as you in there.”

“The way you fought before he cut you off was fantastic, love. Don’t discount that.”

“You helped me there, too.”

“Sure, but you were incredible. When you became your pharaoh self like that, I actually _shivered_.”

Atem snorted. “That was unintentional. I was angry and focused on fighting.”

“It was _very_ effective, so you get credit anyway.”

Atem chuckled softly, and they lapsed into a tired, comfortable silence for a few moments. He felt himself fully relax, exhaustion making itself known.

“Atem?” Yugi’s voice was still soft, and hesitant.

“Hmm?”

“Are… are you okay?”

Atem sighed quietly, considering his answer. “I’m not sure,” he murmured honestly. “I’m… not as overwhelmed, here with you. But I’m… I’m still processing everything, I think.” Yugi hm’d, showing he understood. “Are _you_ okay, partner? It was a lot for you, too.”

Yugi, too, took a moment before answering. “I think so,” he sighed. “It’s a little hard to say. I’m so relieved that you’re safe, that this whole nightmare is finally over… but I feel so awful for Mokuba. I can’t celebrate when he’s in so much pain.”

“Me too,” Atem admitted. “He deserves better.”

“He really does,” Yugi said sadly. “We should make sure to see him as much as we can.”

“Absolutely.” Mokuba had gone above and beyond for them; there was no question in Atem’s mind that he would do the same.

They were comfortably settled in bed, washed, brushed and in proper PJs, when Atem decided to voice his one nagging worry.

“Partner?”

“Hm?” Yugi’s voice was thick with sleep.

“It… it really _is_ over, isn’t it…?” He tried not to let his voice shake. He had seen Kaiba fracture and then shatter in front of him, had seen Mokuba override him… but the anxiety was still there.

“I think it is, love. I really think it is.” He could hear the relief in his partner’s tone, and cuddled a little closer.

“I love you, partner,” Atem murmured. Those short words could not properly express everything he felt for him… but they would do for now.

“I love you too, my other self.”

* * *

**Two months later**

“I think that about does it,” Yugi smiled.

“We still have to create the smaller puzzles and side quests,” Atem reminded him, but he was grinning, too. “And flesh out the main storyline a bit more.”

“Yeah, but this is still a pretty good milestone to hit, getting all the big plot points coded in, and the final battle worked out.”

“Agreed,” Atem nodded.

 _“And the world is pretty much entirely built, which make doing those things much, much easier,”_ Mokuba piped in. _“Look around, guys; it looks REAL.”_

“It really does,” Atem agreed, looking around the plaza leading to his palace. NPCs were milling about, looking for all the world like real people going about their lives. It made him proud; it also tugged at his heart just a little.

_“Okay, let’s install our Pharaoh in here properly.”_

Atem’s digital double appeared in a wash of pixels, blinked, and smiled. “Hello again,” he said pleasantly.

“Hi,” Atem and Yugi said at the same time; they glanced at each other and grinned wryly.

The Pharaoh _laughed_ \- a genuine-sounding laugh of amusement. “Do you two do that a lot?”

“More often than we like to admit,” Yugi said, and Atem snorted.

“It’s true,” he said, when the Pharaoh looked at him; his double smirked and then looked around.

“Is there something you need my assistance with?” He asked, looking genuinely curious.

“Sort of,” Yugi said. “You know you’re going to be a prominent character in this game, right?”

“Yes, Mr. Mokuba has uploaded much of the data I need for it to my system. It is not ready yet, though, correct?”

“Correct,” Atem acknowledged. “But enough of the world has been built, and some of the puzzles and quests, that we think you can be safely… installed, I suppose, without a problem.” He had a little trouble using words that even indirectly hinted at his digital version’s true nature; he seemed so _human_.

The Pharaoh smiled. “This is your world,” he said to Atem, “your world as it was in your first lifetime?”

“Yes, it is. Well, with some changes to accommodate the game,” Atem amended. “But the surface level of the palace, especially the throne room and my—your rooms, are as accurate as I could make them from memory.”

“Would you like us to give you a tour?” Yugi asked.

 _“Hey, don’t forget me, I want to come too.”_ Mokuba’s voice made Atem jump, and Yugi laughed.

A few seconds later, Mokuba’s avatar materialized, and he grinned. “Okay, _now_ we can go,” he said. “Lead the way, Atem.”

And so he did. He led them into his digital palace, explaining to his double what the carvings and hieroglyphs meant, which hallways and passages were used by whom. He had a feeling the AI knew all of it already, but he showed visible interest and asked questions, which made Atem feel a little more comfortable.

When they reached the throne room, the Pharaoh stopped and _stared_.

“This is your throne room,” he said quietly.

“Yours, now,” Atem corrected, smiling; it meant more to him than he could properly vocalize to see this figure, created with the most advanced technology and intelligence in the world, show wonder and appreciation for his home.

“It is beautiful,” the Pharaoh said. “Not just the physicality of it… the _code_ is beautiful. It has been constructed with great care.”

“Atem created it from his memory,” Mokuba said, and his voice echoed in a very real way.

“This place means a lot to me,” Atem smiled, though he felt a twinge in his heart. “More than I can properly explain. People looked to me for justice here, for wisdom and decisiveness. I studied and trained my entire life for it, tried to do my best, but when it came time for me to take the crown, I realized that nothing could fully prepare me for the real thing.”

“It’s a huge burden, and you were really young,” Yugi said.

“Yes,” Atem admitted, “but I _wanted_ to lead; I _wanted_ to do right by my people. It wasn’t easy… but I was glad I could, even for such a short time.”

“I know how that feels,” Mokuba sighed, and he looked both thoughtful and a little sad.

“I know you do,” Atem said gently, and Mokuba smiled at him slightly.

The Pharaoh had been watching him gravely, unblinking, as though to read every part of him. Which, he supposed, was understandable.

“I understand,” the AI said solemnly, “better than I did before. I will cherish this place.”

“Thank you,” Atem said, almost automatically, not quite sure what else to say.

They continued touring the ground level, the Pharaoh visibly intrigued by the gardens, fascinated by the trinkets and drapery in the bedrooms. They took him down into the lower levels, where the more obvious game mechanics came into play. Atem found himself enjoying it, explaining to his double what had been in place in his time, and how they’d changed or tweaked it to fit the game and puzzles. Yugi and Mokuba chimed in, too, and made the AI laugh when they told him stories of their more extravagant failures in the testing phases.

“You could have called me to help you calculate things properly,” he chuckled, “but I suppose it would have been far less entertaining.”

“Definitely less entertaining,” Yugi grinned. “Especially when Atem’s arm glitched through that statue and got stuck.”

Mokuba helpfully called up a still shot of that particular embarrassment; Atem couldn’t help laughing at his own utterly bemused expression.

“That _is_ funny,” the Pharaoh smirked. “Could you not have phased yourself out of it?” He made part of his own arm vanish to demonstrate, and then restored it.

“We don’t think of ourselves in terms of code the way you do,” Mokuba explained. “We’re used to having physical bodies that respond in certain ways; therefore, we react and respond to the virtual world around us differently.”

“Aaah,” the Pharaoh nodded. “So you _could_ have, but that is not the way you perceive yourselves, so it did not occur to you to try.” His tone was not admonishing; Atem could tell that he was merely trying to understand them as much as he could. He was an AI built to learn.

“Humans are pretty dumb,” Mokuba said cheerfully. “We three are smarter than most, but… still dumb sometimes.”

“And yet I am still learning much from you,” the AI smirked.

“Don’t learn from the dumb parts, though,” Yugi laughed.

“I will do my best not to.”

When they finished, and were back in the plaza in front of the palace, Mokuba said they needed to log out and work on some things that did not require being in VR.

The Pharaoh nodded, and bowed slightly to them. “Thank you for showing me all this,” he said, and turned to Atem. “And thank you for sharing so much insight with me. It may sound odd… but I am grateful to have been modeled after you.” Then he smirked slightly. “You might say I have a lot to live up to.”

Atem snorted, but smiled. “I expect you’ll do just fine.”

“See you soon,” said Mokuba, and they logged out, heading to their break room.

“He likes you,” Yugi said to Atem as they made their way in.

“I suppose so,” Atem smiled. “I like him, too. It’s hard to remember he’s not a real human, honestly.”

“He’s showing a lot more personality than I thought,” Mokuba nodded. “But that’s good. He was built to be smart and to learn; he’ll be an excellent asset to just about anything we use him for.”

“Does he have a name apart from Pharaoh?” Atem asked. “It rather seems he should.”

“Pharaoh suits him for the game,” Mokuba mused, “but maybe I’ll ask him if he wants a proper name. He really is so lifelike that he’s basically a full-fledged digital person.”

“If he wants to share mine, he can,” Atem said quickly.

“That reminds me,” said Mokuba, sitting on one of the couches. “I want both of you to sign your names somewhere in the game. Somewhere discreet, like an Easter egg type of place, since you built it.”

Atem broke into a huge smile and saw that Yugi was doing the same. “I’d love that. Thanks Mokuba, really.”

Yugi sat in a chair at right angles with the couch Mokuba had claimed; Atem sat next to him after grabbing drinks for both of them. For a moment, they just rested and relaxed. Then…

“Mokuba, how is… how is everything?” Yugi asked quietly.

Mokuba sighed, his face falling. “The same,” he said, slumping down. “Muttering to no one. Still closed off in his private wing. I took him into a virtual dueling arena yesterday, though, and he seemed to like that. He built a deck.” His voice broke a little. “It’s terrible… but I let him beat me, and he’ll be able to handle a low-level computer opponent soon, I think. He still talks about dueling you, though.”

“Sounds like an okay day for him,” Yugi said sadly.

“Better than when he remembers what I did and starts screaming,” Mokuba said, his tone strained.

“You did the right thing, and you did your best,” Atem reminded him. He always made sure to remind him when this topic came up.

“I know. It still hurts, though,” the younger Kaiba said in a small voice.

“That’s why I remind you,” Atem said gently. Mokuba gave him a slight smile.

“Anyone still giving you trouble?” Yugi said. “Outside of him, I mean.”

“In the company? Nah that’s all smoothed over, I think,” Mokuba shrugged. “It’s kinda like you said… people here are used to me giving orders anyway, and I’ve proven I can run things on my own so they’ve settled down. Having an advisory council I can trust helps a lot.”

Atem nodded. “Advisors helped me a lot as Pharaoh; that’s why I suggested it for you. Sometimes they could get on my nerves when they’d argue,” he added wryly, and Mokuba snorted. “But overall they were a huge help.”

“Itoh’s on it now,” Mokuba said, referencing his brother’s former secretary, who had easily adapted to working for him instead. “She’s been working here for ages and knows a lot.”

“That’s great,” Yugi smiled.

“And speaking of advisors and pharaohs,” Mokuba said, taking a deep breath and exhaling it out in a way that made Atem slightly nervous. “Atem… I can get the Dimension Shuttle to work.”

Atem stared at him. “...You can?”

“It’ll take some time, but yes,” Mokuba nodded, looking at him solemnly. “I’m so busy now, all the time, but I think I can get it fully functional and get you home within a couple of weeks. That is,” he added a bit hesitantly, “if you _want_ to go.”

His brain seemed to come to a screeching halt. He’d… he’d honestly _forgotten_ that Mokuba was working on that, on top of everything else.

And here it was, the decision he wanted to make least of all.

Staying meant being with the person he loved most: his partner, his other self. It also meant not taking his rightful place in the afterlife with his family, whom he’d been without for so, so long.

Leaving meant the opposite: reuniting with his family, but abandoning Yugi, inevitably breaking his heart and partially breaking his own, if he was honest with himself.

But his heart was also with his family.

And he _really_ did want to rest… and go _home_.

A soft hand touched his shoulder and he looked at his partner. Yugi held out his hand and he took it.

His partner’s eyes were sad, but he smiled and nodded slightly.

Atem took a breath.

“Yes,” he said. “I’d like to go home.”


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teeeechnically, this is the "end"... but there is an epilogue to be posted, so, only "sort of" the end. Feel free to hate me anyway, though :D

Yugi did everything he could think of to give Atem a proper goodbye. They both still worked on their game with Mokuba, but not as often, mostly due to his new duties as full CEO.

But on the other days, Yugi made plans.

They went to all their favorite places to eat, burning through a good portion of Yugi’s last paycheck, but considering how well he was getting paid in general these days, it wasn’t a problem.

They went to the arcade and played everything from Laser Tag to old-school fighting games to air hockey, laughing themselves silly at the more ridiculous lunges and flails they’d make to get at the flying puck. Joey, Tristan, Duke, Mai, and Bakura joined them for Laser Tag and group dinners, and were as determined as Yugi was that Atem have a good time.

They also dueled a lot, of course - versus each other, or having mini tournaments in their group. Or tag teaming against their friends, when said friends decided to forego a little dignity, because Yugi and Atem together were unstoppable.

And sometimes they went to their favorite places and just… sat together. In the park, on the pier, at a noodle shop they both particularly liked. Sometimes Yugi would curl up, use Atem’s shoulder as a pillow, and let himself enjoy being held. Sometimes Yugi would hold Atem, and enjoy the feeling of holding his love, fully physical, relaxed and healthy.

Then, of course, there were their evenings. Especially the late nights.

“Are you trying to ensure that I physically can’t walk to the Shuttle, partner?” Atem breathed into his ear one evening after a _very_ intense round of love-making that Yugi had desperately needed, and Atem had enjoyed _immensely_.

So Yugi had snorted at the teasing comment and responded flippantly. “Pfft, of course. Pity that you figured it out.”

Atem had chuckled and just cuddled closer.

“Was that revenge?” Yugi had gasped two nights later, having bottomed for his love and gotten some of the best pleasure of his _life_. He liked it rough sometimes, after all.

“But of course,” Atem rumbled, holding him close, and Yugi could hear the amusement in his tone. “Though I noticed you enjoyed it.”

“Mmm,” Yugi mumbled, smiling in spite of himself. “Not very good revenge if I loved it. Gotta work on that.”

“On the contrary, that is the _best_ kind of revenge.”

“...Fair point.”

They tended to have quiet days after nights like those.

Otherwise, though, they stayed busy, which Yugi was more than fine with.

Staying busy was important, because the alternative for him was curling into a ball and shutting down. Or waking up in the middle of the night in a cold, panicked sweat.

He _knew_ Atem needed to return to the afterlife. He felt it deep within him, that this was the _right_ thing to do. Atem needed to be at rest; he _deserved_ to be at rest. He’d been tired of constantly fighting when they’d said goodbye the first time, even though he never once complained of fatigue. He was tired of fighting once more, even if he wasn’t entirely aware of it himself.

That didn’t make it easy for Yugi to actually _like_ it, though.

His heart was breaking at the idea of having to say goodbye _again_ , for _real_ this time, never mind that this was a chance they never should have had, and had come with a high cost. Atem knew his heart was breaking; he knew without Yugi saying anything. He could always see past Yugi’s brave fronts.

Yugi tried his best for him anyway. He knew it was hard on his partner to say goodbye to him, too, and didn’t want to make it harder.

Their last night together was the hardest.

It had started off okay, with a cheerful dinner with Grandpa, some time to themselves to play games afterward.

Then, when Atem was kissing him, softly, gently, Yugi lost it. Surprising even himself, he broke down without warning; all the sadness and fear and heartbreak he’d firmly pushed away flooded his mind, because _this was it_ , he was losing Atem for good all over again and all he wanted to do was cling to him and never let go.

And here he was, clinging to Atem and not letting go, crying hysterically into his shirt.

Atem held him close, held him _tight_ , and then Yugi realized he was crying, too, and that just made everything ten times worse.

“I don’t want you to go,” Yugi choked out before he could stop himself.

“Oh, my partner,” Atem sighed, sniffling himself.

“Y-you should go,” Yugi stammered, trying to talk properly through his tears. “It’s r-right for you to go. I just—I’m…” He choked back a fresh sob.

“I know,” Atem murmured, rubbing his back the way he liked best. “I know, love.”

“’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“Don’t be. I wish we didn’t have to make this choice; I wish I could have you and my family with me. Which… which I _will_ , eventually, but… I don’t want to watch and wait or see you unhappy.”

“Eventually?”

“When it’s your time, partner,” Atem’s smooth voice was rough, but gentle at the same time. “You will come to be with me.”

That… was honestly more of a comfort than Yugi thought it would be.

“I love you, Atem. Always,” was what he could manage to say, though his heart eased a little.

“Love you, too, partner. Always.”

“My other self.”

“My other heart.” Yugi felt Atem’s hand settle on his face, stroking his wet cheek. “You carry part of mine with you, you know, no matter what happens.”

“Why is it that you can say cheesy things and they sound wonderful but when I do it, it just sounds cheesy?”

A deep, soft, _wonderful_ chuckle. “I think your cheesy things sound wonderful, partner.”

“You have questionable taste.” Yugi felt himself smiling, relaxing.

“Perhaps.”

Yugi yawned, finally feeling exhaustion sweep over him. “G’night, love.”

“Good night, my other heart.”

* * *

Yugi was miserable. This was so _hard_.

No matter how much he’d tried to mentally prepare himself, he just… couldn’t let Atem go, not as easily as he wished he could.

They met their friends at the game shop before piling into a long limousine, courtesy of KaibaCorp. They’d all see Atem off together, with the exception of Téa, whom they’d video chatted with that morning so she could say goodbye. And Grandpa, who had needed to stay at the shop, though he’d given Atem a fond, strong hug as they left, wishing him well.

Yugi tried his best to be sociable, but he had a lump in his throat and a pain in his chest that made it difficult to talk. Everyone, however, seemed to understand, and didn’t press him if he didn’t give much of an answer. Joey made sure to sit next to him in the car, an arm draped around his shoulders in silent support.

Atem was quiet, too, in his full Pharaoh regalia. He sat next to Yugi on his other side, holding his hand tightly. Yugi really, really wanted to curl up in his arms and rest his head on his shoulder, but knew full well that if he did that, what self control he had would shatter and he’d be a mess in less than half a second.

He wanted to be strong for Atem. He didn’t want his love’s last sight of him in this lifetime to be a sobbing wreck.

He had moved on without Atem once. He would do it again… even though it seemed exponentially harder this time.

Maybe having so much time with his other self wasn’t such a blessing, if it made their parting so unbearable.

Yugi mentally gave himself a shake for that last thought. It was pure bitterness, he knew, and it was wrong. He wouldn’t trade the time he’d been able to spend with Atem for _anything_.

They’d said pretty much everything they could possibly want to say to each other. They hadn’t had to rush, not like last time. It _was_ a blessing, no matter how much it hurt right now.

The soft, mildly awkward chatter died out entirely as they approached the launching station, where Mokuba was waiting. He would be manning the Dimension Shuttle that would bring Atem home, and had been there since the early morning, making preparations. Yugi knew he was nervous, since this wasn’t exactly something he could do a test run on… but he trusted Mokuba. He knew the younger Kaiba could handle it well.

“Damn,” said Tristan quietly. “I _know_ this thing is huge and goes into freakin’ sub-orbit, but… it _really is huge._ ”

“Yeah, knowing it’s there and seeing it up close are two different things,” Mai said, craning her neck out the window to look.

“How the heck did it even get _built_?” Tristan asked, almost absently.

“Mechs, I think,” Bakura spoke up. “That Blue-Eyes one he’s got, you know. Probably more.”

“It’d have to be that, for something going up that high,” Duke nodded.

“Traveling dimensions in it must be _weird_ ,” Joey said.

“It is,” Atem spoke up for the first time, and everyone looked at him. He smiled slightly. “I don’t know how it works, but we went _up_ in the shuttle to the station, and only transcended dimensions on our way _down_. When we got the rest of the way down… we were here.” He shrugged a little. “I can’t really explain it more than that.”

“...Definitely weird. I don’t think I wanna make that kind of trip anytime soon,” Joey said, and everyone laughed a little. Yugi felt himself smile inadvertently and relaxed just a bit.

“One dimension is enough for me to deal with,” Mai grinned. “No offense, Atem.”

“I am absolutely offended,” Atem deadpanned, but a slight smirk betrayed his humor. Even Yugi was able to laugh this time. He felt Atem squeeze his hand slightly and was suddenly fighting off the urge to cry in the middle of his laughter.

 _Hold it together, dammit_ , he thought to himself. _Atem deserves happiness and rest and safety. He deserves to go back. Be happy for him now. You can cry later._

He blinked until his eyes were dry and took a breath.

The car slowed to a stop and the driver announced their arrival. As they got out, Atem kept his grip on Yugi’s hand, helping him out of the car. Yugi managed a small smile; his other self smiled back gently.

Mokuba was jogging toward them from the launch bay, waving. Yugi waved back, and realized that his friends were crowded around them now, a tight group. They met each other halfway down the walkway.

After greeting them all, the younger Kaiba said, “You should all wait back here. The launch bay comes with the station and connector chute; I don’t want any of you to accidentally get pulled into it.”

“That would be awkward,” Tristan said dryly, and some of the tension cracked as they laughed.

“So, then… I suppose we see you off here,” Bakura said quietly, and the entire group sobered.

This was it. Even as part of Yugi was so relieved that Atem was able to finally go home, and _stay_ there without any more interference, his heart was _railing_ against letting him go. Even though he knew it was selfish and _not_ the right thing for either of them.

Atem’s grip on his hand loosened and twitched, and Yugi reluctantly let go. He stepped back to give his friends some room, as one by one, they approached their friend, shook his hand, hugged him. Joey actually lifted him off the ground, which made him almost _squeak_ in surprise, to the amusement of everyone else.

“You take care of yourself, you hear?” Joey said, mock-sternly, though his voice was shaking. “You find anyone givin’ you trouble over there, you let us know and we’ll punch ‘em for you.”

Atem chuckled softly. “Thank you, Joey. Thank you… all of you, so much. I wouldn’t be here without your help, sticking with us through everything… thank you.” He bowed a little, and then was enveloped in a massive group hug.

Yugi was smiling, he realized, even as he hung back. He loved how much his friends had welcomed Atem, how much they loved him and looked out for him without being asked. His recovery would not have gone nearly as well without their support. He, Yugi, was lucky to have them there as well.

Then Atem disentangled himself from the mass of arms.

Then he was looking at Yugi, holding out his arms, and it was all Yugi could do to not collapse right there.

He stumbled into his other self’s embrace, holding on as tightly as he could, and there was no one else and nothing else in the entire world except _him_.

He fought so hard not to cry but his eyes welled up anyway. He must have made a sound that gave him away, for Atem’s arms around him tightened.

“There aren’t enough words in any language,” Atem whispered softly, “to tell you how much you mean to me, partner.”

“M-me too,” Yugi choked out, then realized what he’d said. “I mean…”

“I know, love. My other heart.” Atem pulled away from him just a little, and cupped his face with one hand, brushing away the tear Yugi couldn’t hold back gently. “Promise me,” he whispered, so only Yugi could hear, “promise me that you’ll look forward. That you’ll live your best life. Don’t grieve for me too long or hold yourself back. Let yourself be happy.”

Yugi nodded shakily. “I promise,” he whispered. “And you… you be happy too, okay? You deserve rest, you deserve happiness.”

“I promise,” Atem murmured. And then he was kissing Yugi, and Yugi was kissing back, and it was everything he needed even as his heart broke.

But when they broke apart, he managed to keep his feet, to keep his back straight, to smile.

...It wasn’t actually difficult for him to smile anymore.

Atem turned to Mokuba. “I’m ready,” he said quietly.

Mokuba regarded them for a moment, then sighed. “I wasn’t going to say anything until I was more sure, but… well… I think… there are aspects of this Shuttle that I can change. To… to make it an easier journey. It’s such a resource hog now; the system is—well, anyway, I don’t want to get your hopes too high,” he said hastily, “but _if_ I’m right… Yugi, you might be able to visit with me. Not very often… but occasionally.”

Yugi turned to Atem so fast that his vision blurred. He felt suddenly breathless, utterly stunned silent.

And Atem was looking at him with that same stunned, breathless expression.

“If…” Yugi cleared his throat, speaking through lips that had gone entirely numb, “if you want a firm goodbye—”

“Please come visit me,” Atem interrupted, in an urgent undertone that made Yugi’s heart leap. “I… don’t… not too often; I really do want you to live your life and move forward.” He took Yugi’s hands in his own. “But please visit. If you want.”

All Yugi could do was nod frantically, gripping his hands desperately tightly.

“I’ll work hard to make it happen,” Mokuba promised, then yelped as Yugi reached for him at the same time that Atem did, and pulled him into a fierce hug.

“Thank you,” Atem murmured.

“Thank you for _everything_ ,” Yugi mumbled. “Even if it doesn’t work… thank you.”

They broke apart, and Atem took a long breath. “And now, I truly am ready,” he said.

He squeezed Yugi’s hand one last time, and let go.

Yugi’s eyes welled up all over again, but he stood still, stood straight. Arms draped around his shoulders, squeezing slightly in support, reminding him that he was not alone.

They stayed like that, watching quietly as the two figures disappeared into the Shuttle, rode it into the sky… and disappeared in a slow, gentle shower of shimmering gold.


	26. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is - the very end! Gosh, what a ride this has been. I started writing this in February 2017; it's crazy that it's not only complete but posted! 
> 
> Thank you all SO much for reading and commenting! It means so much! 
> 
> Thanks also to Phoebe Delos for being my wonderful, wonderful beta!! 
> 
> Artwork from Elysiaree will be coming for this, too, and I'll be posting her art in the relevant chapter once it's completed!

**EPILOGUE**

**Eight months later**

“I’m so nervous,” Yugi confessed, fidgeting in his chair.

“I am, too,” Mokuba admitted, from behind his expansive desk. “I’ve told people not to spoil the reviews for me until I met with you and we could look at them together.”

 _The Realm of the Gods_ hit the shelves a mere few days ago and the first official reviews were coming in. All the months of work, all the effort they put into Atem’s story… now they’d see how people liked it.

“Come on, pull your chair around so we can read them,” Mokuba said impatiently, and Yugi complied, holding his breath as Mokuba clicked into one of the more prominent review aggregate sites. He was almost afraid to look at their average overall score…

9.5/10.

Yugi’s jaw dropped.

“Oh _man_ ,” Mokuba breathed… then laughed. “Oh MAN,” he crowed. “Look at _this_ , Yugi, _look at us_ , we have a game with a near-perfect score!”

Relief and excitement and pride and a whole host of emotions Yugi couldn’t even name flooded him all at once, and he was laughing too, laughing with tears in his eyes that he couldn’t explain. This game meant more to him than anyone would ever know, save perhaps Mokuba, and to see people responding to it so positively was overwhelming in the best possible sense.

He was now _dying_ to know details.

“Read them, Mokuba, read one of them please,” he pleaded.

Mokuba obliged, scrolling down.

“‘A fantastic open world’… ‘excellent story that reels you right in and keeps you guessing’… ‘I really felt like I was walking around Egypt around 3000 years ago; KaibaCorp has surpassed itself in its technological marvels’...oh man, Yugi, this is AMAZING.” Mokuba was beaming and nearly bouncing in his excitement.

“What’s that 0.5 holding us back, then?” Yugi demanded with mock outrage.

Mokuba laughed. “Oh, you know, nothing’s ever perfect for everyone. A couple of regular users - non-professionals, you know - say the puzzles were boring. One says Set should have wrecked it all,” he snorted. “Can’t please everyone.”

“Pfft,” Yugi snorted, “Guess some people love watching the world burn.”

“They can let Zorc win if they want to see it that badly. Oh hey, this one here says they want to bang the Pharaoh.”

Yugi choked and then laughed so hard, tears came to his eyes once again. “Oh my god, well, I can’t fault them for that,” he managed. “I was banging my own version, after all.”

“YUGI,” Mokuba yelped, “I did _not_ need to know that!”

“You are 15, my friend; you’re old enough to know these things, by my estimation.” Yugi winked.

“Yeah, well, I’m _not_ old enough to drink, which I keep having to remind people of at corporate parties, so in lieu of champagne, we’ve got sparkling cider.” Mokuba got up and went to the mini fridge he had near his desk and pulled out the bottle of cider, along with two glasses that rested on top of the appliance.

“Fine by me,” Yugi grinned, as Mokuba poured. “Wonder if we should tell him he’s got a fan.”

“He would have absolutely no idea how to process that kind of information,” Mokuba laughed, and passed him a glass. “Here’s to our first game’s success!”

They clinked glasses and sipped. Yugi decided he actually did like this sparkling cider better than real champagne.

“Has he picked a name for himself yet?” Yugi asked, after a moment where they both drank heartily.

“Yeah, actually. I kind of like it, too,” Mokuba smiled. “Khamen. I gave him a list of ancient pharaohs’ names. He liked the name Tutankhamen but thought it was rather long.”

Yugi smiled back. “That works nicely,” he said.

“And incidentally,” Mokuba added, sounding just a little too casual, “he’s asked if we can make him a companion.”

Yugi sat up straight, intrigued. “Really? As in a full-fledged AI like himself?” Mokuba nodded. “You’ve created one of yourself, though, right? And…” he faltered. Kaiba was a subject they did not often bring up. His mind was still a fractured mess, and most doctors were unsure whether he’d ever recover. It had only been a matter of months… but still.

Mokuba, thankfully, just shrugged and sighed. “Yeah, I mentioned that to him, but he says it’s a bit weird since he sees the two of us as his creators, which I can kinda understand. I thought, actually, about modeling his companion after you.”

Yugi raised his eyebrows in surprise, and put his glass down on the desk, thinking it over. “What does Khamen think of that idea?” He asked, mostly to give himself a little time.

“He liked it a lot, actually,” Mokuba said, sounding slightly apologetic. “But I told him I’d ask for your permission first.”

Yugi was… touched, honestly. Khamen was not Atem; he understood that incredibly well. While his duelist version could indeed emulate his other self perfectly, his _actual_ personality was slightly different. It was almost like talking to a twin brother.

“Sure,” he said, after another moment of mulling it over. “It… means a lot, if I’m honest.” He smiled a bit ruefully. “What would you need from me? You’ve got my Duel Links version for the special events, but that’s not full artificial intelligence, is it?”

“Nope,” Mokuba said, then frowned a little as he thought. “I’m not sure we’d need a lot from you at first… there’s a LOT of footage of you building and testing the game. I’d have you duel some people in real time, though… hit you with some puzzles to solve so the system learns how you think. It’ll take some time, but we can do it. Khamen’s original version took ages.”

“Well, I’m a bit busy with the press tour winding down for this,” Yugi smiled, “and the Duel Links tournament next month. But other than that, I’m all yours.”

“Sounds good,” Mokuba said.

“Would we put the companion into the game?”

Mokuba frowned slightly in thought. “We could,” he mused. “Especially if Khamen likes that idea. As what, though… and we’ve already built the PR around him as a version of you…”

“A scribe or a priest?” Yugi suggested. “Or one of the background nobles that has the head covering?”

“That could work,” Mokuba agreed, then smirked at him. “Not a servant, then, I take it.”

“Definitely not,” Yugi snorted, and Mokuba laughed.

“We’ll figure it out,” the younger Kaiba promised. “Further down the line. We both have enough to do for now.”

He walked Yugi to the elevator, which he didn’t have to do, but Yugi appreciated the gesture. He also had a feeling that it was an excuse for Mokuba to get out from behind his desk; KaibaCorp was as successful as ever, and he was managing the full workload of an adult leader, and all the late hours that involved. As they waited, though, he spoke.

“How are you, Yugi? Are you okay?”

“Mostly,” Yugi admitted. “Being busy helps. It’s better in general, though. And I’m looking forward to seeing him in a couple of months once the tournament is over. He’ll love to hear how the game is doing,” he added with a smile; he felt a small tug at his heart, but did not show it.

“I bet he will,” Mokuba smiled back.

“How about you?”

The younger Kaiba shrugged. “Busy. Which is good for me, too. It’s harder when I’m home,” he sighed.

“I bet,” Yugi said sympathetically, and put a hand on his shoulder. He had to reach up a little to do that now. Mokuba was growing so fast, Yugi could swear he was taller every time he saw him, which was at least once a week these days. Aside from their working relationship, Yugi truly counted him as a friend.

They waited in companionable silence for a few moments; the elevator always took a while to get to the top floor. Then Mokuba spoke again.

“Are you really okay, Yugi?” He said solemnly, looking him full in the eye.

“I am,” Yugi said, taking a breath, but smiling. “I’m moving forward. I want to see him, and I will… but I have to live _here_ , too. I’ll be with him eventually anyway; we both know that.” He felt… calm, really, and slightly proud of himself, because every word was true.

Mokuba smiled, and it was warm and kind and proud. “I’m glad.”

“I’m also thinking that, when I’m older and fully independent, that I might adopt a child or two.” Yugi watched his reaction, holding his breath slightly.

Mokuba’s jaw dropped, and he stared at Yugi in pure, unadulterated _shock_. Then his entire face lit up with a huge smile that threatened to split his cheeks.

“Really?! Oh my _god,_ ” he nearly screeched, throwing his arms around Yugi so suddenly that Yugi nearly overbalanced.

Yugi laughed, managing to keep his feet and hugging back. “I take it you approve of this idea, then?”

“YES,” Mokuba enthused. “Anyone would be lucky to have you as a parent, and there are _so many kids_ who need good homes… oh my god, Yugi, this means _so much_.”

The elevator dinged, and they could hear the slowing of the mechanism that pulled it up several dozen stories. Mokuba let go of him, still beaming, his eyes slightly watery.

“I’ll keep you posted,” Yugi promised as the doors opened. “It’ll be a few years down the line, at least. But you can be their uncle.”

“I’ll spoil them _rotten_ ,” Mokuba said at once. “You just _wait_.”

“I’m doomed,” Yugi laughed, entering the elevator.

“Yep. See you, Yugi!” The youngest-ever CEO of a global corporation waved enthusiastically as the doors closed, and Yugi was whisked down to the ground level at a speed that made his ears pop.

He was greeted with respectful nods and waves as he exited, and a few excited fans asked for photos as he headed home. The day was lovely: warm, sunny, with a wonderful breeze, and Yugi smiled as he walked, taking his time.

He missed Atem. It was an ache within him that was always there, though it was getting less painful overall. There were still nights when he woke suddenly, and finding himself alone in bed made him weep into his pillow until he’d worn himself out. Sometimes Atem would visit his dreams after nights like those. But it was getting better. He’d be able to see Atem again once a year, and depart with his heart feeling full, rather than empty.

For him, that would be enough.

For now, he was not only okay… he was happy.

 

**End**


End file.
